Not only has Pfizer paid $2.3 billion in fines over illegal off-label sales of its painkiller Bextra, now some of its former executives face criminal prosecution. Prosecutors allege that a rogue sales unit of Pfizer marketed Bextra for uses and dosages not approved by the FDA. Pfizer has also agreed to pay approximately $900 million dollars to settle hundreds of personal injury claims of patients who suffered heart attacks and strokes while taking Bextra.
This rogue sales unit promoted Bextra using outright false information including bogus protocols for use of Bextra in Ob/Gyn surgery pain, inventing false clinical claims that Bextra was safer than Vioxx and communicating that to prescribing physicians, making up false safety claims not based on clinical data, claiming Bextra reduced the risk of post-DVT blood clot formation and misstating FDA communications. Sales managers were even specifically asked not to pass on to their sales reps the FDA communication refusing to approve Bextra for acute pain during coronary bypass graft surgery due to cardiovascular event concerns.
Once again a pharmaceutical giant has placed profit over patient safety. These corporate executives were paid handsomely by their companies for their dogged pursuit of profit, profit, profit. They should pay as dearly with criminal fines and jail time for their fraudulent activities that put innocent patients at risk as a deterrent to such despicable behavior in the future.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
There was a young man in my town that sold another man a pain pill. The man took it and died. The other is facing murder charges. What is my point?…. I was given Bextra and had at least 2 strokes. I now am blind in my right eye and have seizures. I am disabled and recieve social security disability. My life will never be the same. My normal life was taken from me. Then come to find out the risks were known and hidden because of big bucks. These people are not any better than the drug dealers on the streets and need to be punished like them. Hell yea, sit in prison. Did I mention I was in my early twentys when this happened to me?