Company to pay up for unlawful drug promotion

Wisconsin will receive $677,491.66 of a $35 million settlement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company, Pfizer Inc., after Wyeth was accused of unlawfully promoting a drug, according to a news release from Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s office.

Wyeth was accused of illegally promoting Rapamune, an immunosuppressive drug used to prevent organ rejection after kidney transplant surgery, for off-label uses that weren’t specific in the drug’s Food and Drug Administration’s labeling.

The settlement was submitted Wednesday, for Wisconsin’s case, to Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust for approval. However, the companies are involved in cases in 41 other states.

Under the settlement, Prizer may not make misleading claims about its products, promote its products for off-label use or allow for salespeople to get incentives for selling its products for off-label use.