MO secures $1.5M in national pharmaceutical settlement

Missouri is slated to receive $1.5 million as part of a $491 million national settlement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The settlement resolves claims that Wyeth Pharmaceuticals promoted the sale and use of the drug Rapamune for unapproved or off-label uses. Wyeth was purchased by New York City-based Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) in 2009 after the alleged activity occurred, according to a news release.

Rapamune, a drug designed to prevent the body's immune system from rejecting a transplanted organ, was approved in 1999 by the Food and Drug Administration for use in renal, or kidney, transplant patients. However, Wyeth allegedly trained its Rapamune sales team to promote the drug for nonrenal transplant patients and, through financial incentives, persuaded salespeople to target all transplant patient groups to increase sales of the drug, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Wyeth pleaded guilty to a misbranding violation under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

The settlement resolves two lawsuits in federal court in the Western District of Oklahoma brought under whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. One lawsuit was filed by a former Rapamune sales representative and a pharmacist, and the other was filed by a separate former Rapamune sales representative, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]