Pfizer slapped with a record $2.3 BILLION Penalty for illegal drug promotion...

[NesuD]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

It is a violation of FDA rules to market a drug for uses that have not been approved by the FDA. This isn't to say that most drugs don't have positive benefits as unapproved treatments for other ailments. It is simply against the rules to market to those uses.

 

[lyssword]

Wow, that's probably more than some smaller countries make in a year.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: NesuD

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

It is a violation of FDA rules to market a drug for uses that have not been approved by the FDA. This isn't to say that most drugs don't have positive benefits as unapproved treatments for other ailments. It is simply against the rules to market to those uses.

I got that after reading the entire article. The mayor or whoever was trying to paint it as bilking tax payers for extravagant trips which is wholly untrue and unrelated to this case.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie

I wonder how the $102 million is going to be shared among the Whistleblowers.

After taxes and lawyers fees, $1.98.

minus another 42 cents for postage.

 

[JS80]

Hmmm....Google totally bribes us with fancy dinners. I wonder how much I can make whistleblowing.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Aharami
i love it when big corporations get the shaft 😀

See what I posted above, they did not get shafted. There is a reason they took this settlement instead of dragging it out for years. They made way more off these drugs then this fine covers. Heck 1 drug alone in 04 brought in over 1 billion.

ok a small and minuscule shaft to them in terms of money. but the PR shaft is pretty big with this one

PR? They've done this 3 more times before apparently. Based on their sales and continuation of these practices, I don't think anyone cares.
Among their accountants, these fines and legal fees are probably called "just another cost of doing business."

 

[zerocool84]

Who would have thought that huge drug companies would be doing things that aren't legal? They pay off politicians so much already to get what they want, no need to stop there.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: rudder

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
After taxes and lawyers fees, $1.98.

minus another 42 cents for postage.

Lawsuit payouts aren't taxable. Postage stamps are now 44 cents. So, make that $3 minus 44 cents, for a total of $2.56.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: NesuD

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

It is a violation of FDA rules to market a drug for uses that have not been approved by the FDA. This isn't to say that most drugs don't have positive benefits as unapproved treatments for other ailments. It is simply against the rules to market to those uses.

I got that after reading the entire article. The mayor or whoever was trying to paint it as bilking tax payers for extravagant trips which is wholly untrue and unrelated to this case.

Yes, but when you tell the public that you're fining a company because they are marketing products that are known to be safe by the FDA for conditions that, because of a legal technicality, the drug was not explicitly approved by the FDA (despite the drug being known to be perfectly safe), you sound a little silly.

ZV

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Who would have thought that huge drug companies would be doing things that aren't legal? They pay off politicians so much already to get what they want, no need to stop there.

That's why I didn't think anything huge drug companies did was legal. When you have the people who write the laws in your pocket how could you break them.

 

[Phokus]

Pfizer is run by scumbags:

Environmental record

According to the EPA, Pfizer is among the top ten companies in America with the most numerous emissions sources. [34] A landfill and two wastewater lagoons in Ledyard, CT near the Pfizer plant in Groton, Connecticut, are a source of groundwater pollution in the area. According to the Connecticut Department of Environmnetal Protection (CT DEP), the Pfizer site is active under the CT DEP Site Remediation program.[35] In June 2002, a chemical explosion at the Groton plant injured seven people and caused the evacuation of over 100 homes in the surrounding area.[36]
Pfizer has provided funding to the Competitive Enterprise Institute[36]

And what is the Competitive Enterprise Institute?

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a non-profit libertarian[1] think tank[2] founded in 1984 by Fred L. Smith, Jr and based in Washington, D.C., USA. CEI's stated belief is that consumers are best helped not by government regulation of commercial interests, but by consumers being allowed to make their own choices in a free marketplace. CEI states that it promotes libertarian ideals through analysis, education, coalition-building, advocacy, and regulation.[3] CEI offers analysis and advocacy on public policy issues such as energy, environment, biotechnology, pharmaceutical regulation, chemical risk, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, tobacco regulation, constitutional issues, economic policy and securities law.[4]

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

I haven't. (Gov't employee.) :|

 

[Regs]

We go through the ethics training at work . It's really bull shit because peons get lynched for breaking ethics practices like accepting baseball tickets from a vendor, yet the managers, VP's, and CEOs who actually harm the industry don't get disciplined because it increases the size of their bank accounts.

Stuff like this happens when organizations grow too large for their own good. They can't sustain their size so they resort to less ethical practices.

 

[xj0hnx]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: NesuD

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

It is a violation of FDA rules to market a drug for uses that have not been approved by the FDA. This isn't to say that most drugs don't have positive benefits as unapproved treatments for other ailments. It is simply against the rules to market to those uses.

I got that after reading the entire article. The mayor or whoever was trying to paint it as bilking tax payers for extravagant trips which is wholly untrue and unrelated to this case.

Yes, but when you tell the public that you're fining a company because they are marketing products that are known to be safe by the FDA for conditions that, because of a legal technicality, the drug was not explicitly approved by the FDA (despite the drug being known to be perfectly safe), you sound a little silly.

ZV

Anything they can do to villainize the rich spending money.

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Aharami
i love it when big corporations get the shaft 😀

See what I posted above, they did not get shafted. There is a reason they took this settlement instead of dragging it out for years. They made way more off these drugs then this fine covers. Heck 1 drug alone in 04 brought in over 1 billion.

ok a small and minuscule shaft to them in terms of money. but the PR shaft is pretty big with this one

PR? They've done this 3 more times before apparently. Based on their sales and continuation of these practices, I don't think anyone cares.
Among their accountants, these fines and legal fees are probably called "just another cost of doing business."

I agree. I think most people buy drugs without knowing if it's pfizer or merck or whoever. They might know say, allegra from claritin, but not the manufacturer.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: NesuD
It is a violation of FDA rules to market a drug for uses that have not been approved by the FDA. This isn't to say that most drugs don't have positive benefits as unapproved treatments for other ailments. It is simply against the rules to market to those uses.

Correction: drug companies cannot market drugs to consumers for uses that have not been approved by the FDA, or to make materially false, misleading, or scientifically unsupportable statements to prescribing professionals about a drug's approval for any uses. It is NOT a violation in any way, shape, or form for drug companies to educate or inform prescribing physicians about potential off-label uses that may benefit patients. This had to involve especially egregious conduct.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

They tried to get the FDA to approve their drug for an alternate use. The FDA said no. They marketed it for the alternate use anyway. Sounds illegal to me!

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: xj0hnx


Anything they can do to villainize the rich spending money.

It's not that they spend money, itt's their choice in how they spend it.

Being wealthy doesn't relieve one of their social obligations and responsibilities, like adherance to the law.
At the least it shouldn't, but there will always be Rich People Groupies who will apologize in advance of the misdeeds sure to come from the priviledged class.

 

[xj0hnx]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: xj0hnx


Anything they can do to villainize the rich spending money.

It's not that they spend money, itt's their choice in how they spend it.

Being wealthy doesn't relieve one of their social obligations and responsibilities, like adherance to the law.
At the least it shouldn't, but there will always be Rich People Groupies who will apologize in advance of the misdeeds sure to come from the priviledged class.

It doesn't have anything to do with their "social ogligations", they are trying to use the publics misguided rage against of rich people spending money on expenditures to bolster support. The crime is that they are trying to promote drugs outside of FDA approval, but somehow this is linked to what they are spending because they know people nowadays are angry at corporations spending lavishly, and know it can promote more resentment, and support. Let the crime stand on it's own without the classwarfare bs.

 

[Ballatician]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Why is what pfizer doing considered illegal? This doesn't make any sense, all that sounds like is normal sales - please use our products. Who here hasn't been to a strip club, fancy dinner, party or resort on the dime of another company trying to sell you something or thanking you for buying their products?

When it comes to healthcare, choices shouldn't be made based on which company is the nicest but rather the particular med/therapy's performance in peer reviewed trials.

I rather my physicians judgment not be clouded by his recent exotic vacation on the pharma dime when deciding which of two medications I receive. I prefer scientific reasoning.

Secondly, maybe unrelated, but this is why a small independent co. has such little chance of scucess in the pharmaceutical market. Even if they come up with a great, cheap drug how can they compete with all the money being thrown at healthcare professionals by the big dogs? They are almost forced to sell out to the big boys so they can jack up the price and ration the release.

 

[Modelworks]

Great, they will just increase their prices again.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: xj0hnx

It doesn't have anything to do with their "social ogligations", they are trying to use the publics misguided rage against of rich people spending money on expenditures to bolster support. The crime is that they are trying to promote drugs outside of FDA approval, but somehow this is linked to what they are spending because they know people nowadays are angry at corporations spending lavishly, and know it can promote more resentment, and support. Let the crime stand on it's own without the classwarfare bs.

Amen. That shit is getting so very old and extremely obvious when they do it.