August 6, 2014
Nevada will Receive $520,737
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced today that her Office, along with the Attorneys General of 41 other States and the District of Columbia, have reached a $35 million settlement with Pfizer Inc., who as parent of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. agrees to be bound by the judgment, to resolve allegations that Wyeth Pharmaceuticals unlawfully promoted Rapamune, an immunosuppressive drug currently approved by the FDA as a prophylactic for organ rejection after kidney transplant surgery.
“Nevadans rely on pharmaceutical companies to accurately represent the benefits and intended uses of their drugs,” said Masto. “My fellow Attorneys General and I filed this suit to protect consumers nationwide by ensuring that this drug is not promoted or used for treatments other than those it was intended and approved for.”
Nevada will receive $520,737 from this settlement, which will go to the state’s general fund.
The complaint and consent judgment filed today allege that Wyeth violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the uses and benefits of Rapamune, including making representations related to: (1) the unapproved use of Rapamune following an organ transplant other than a kidney transplant; (2) the unapproved protocol of converting patients to Rapamune after initially receiving a different immunosuppressive drug; and (3) using Rapamune in unapproved drug combinations.
The consent judgment requires Pfizer to ensure that its marketing and promotional practices do not unlawfully promote Rapamune or any Pfizer product.
Specifically, Pfizer shall not:
- Make, or cause to be made, any written or oral claim that is false, misleading, or deceptive regarding any Pfizer Product;
- Make any claim comparing the safety or efficacy of a Pfizer Product to another product when that claim is not supported by substantial evidence as defined by Federal law and regulations;
- Promote any Pfizer Product for Off-Label uses;
- Include mechanisms in its financial incentives to provide incentive compensation for sales that may be attributable to the Off-Label uses of any Pfizer Product;
- Affirmatively seek the inclusion of Rapamune in hospital protocols or standing orders unless Rapamune has been approved by the FDA for the indication for which it is to be included in the protocol or standing order;
- Disseminate information describing any Off-Label or unapproved use of Rapamune unless such information and materials comply with applicable FDA regulations and the recommended actions in FDA Guidances for Industry; or
- Seek to influence the prescribing of Rapamune in hospitals or transplant centers in any manner (including through funding clinical trials) that does not comply with the Federal anti-kickback statute.
Oregon and Texas led the Executive Committee, which also includes Attorneys General from California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Also participating in the settlement are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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