October 22, 2008
 

    LANSING - Attorney General Mike Cox today filed a stipulated judgment with Pfizer Inc. resolving a five-year investigation concerning Pfizer's promotion of two prescription drugs: Celebrex® and Bextra®.  The judgment, filed today in Ingham County Circuit Court, will largely restrict Pfizer's ability to deceptively promote its products.  In addition, the judgment requires Pfizer to pay a total of $60 million to be divided among the 33 states involved in the settlement.

   "My office is committed to protecting Michigan citizens from dangerous and deceptive practices," said Cox.  "This settlement will protect Michigan citizens."

    The multi-state investigation was initiated in 2003 to determine whether Pfizer misrepresented that their drug, Celebrex, was safer and more effective than traditional non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil®) and naproxen (Aleve®).  As the investigation proceeded, additional concerns were raised regarding Pfizer's second generation drug, Bextra.  Ultimately, the investigation concluded that Pfizer engaged in an aggressive, deceptive, and unlawful campaign to promote Bextra "off label" uses that had been expressly rejected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    Since 2003, Cox has recovered more than $82 million from pharmaceutical companies.

    Today's judgment contains injunctive terms addressing all concerns raised during the investigation regarding both Celebrex and Bextra.  Although the following list is not exhaustive, the judgment prevents Pfizer from:
 

• Deceptively using scientific data when marketing to doctors;
   

• Distributing samples with the intent to encourage off-label prescribing;  and
   

• Providing incentives to sales staff to increase off-label prescribing.
   

    Joining Michigan in the settlement are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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