The feds have officially joined a whistleblower case filed over Wyeth's marketing of the transplant drug Rapamune. Filed by two former Wyeth reps, the suit not only alleges that the company (now owned by Pfizer) pushed Rapamune for off-label use, but that it also specifically targeted hospitals with mostly African-American patients.
Pfizer says it's not fussed about the Department of Justice's interest in the case. In fact, the drugmaker tells Pharmalot that it wanted the government to get involved in the suit. "We supported the government's intervention in this case because we believe its doing so will allow for a more orderly process and efficient conclusion of both this matter and the previously disclosed government investigation of Wyeth's promotion of Rapamune," the company tells Pharmalot. "As we have previously communicated, the company is actively cooperating with the government in its investigation."
Besides, even if Wyeth did break the rules on marketing Rapamune, that doesn't mean Pfizer did anything wrong, the company points out. The case "does not include any factual allegations after 2007--years prior to Pfizer's acquisition of Wyeth," the company's statement to Pharmalot explains. That deal closed last year. So, sue away, federal government.
- read the Pharmalot post