Pfizer Inc. pay settlement due to the marketing of an illegal drug.

Drug makers, Pfizer Inc. has had to agree on the payment of $14.5 million to the government over the wrongful advertising of a drug for an overactive bladder condition.



This settlement comes after $2.3 billion was paid out in 2009 for criminal charges. Many of these involved claims by civilians and as their fourth settlement proceeding in a year, it involved with the illegal marketing of medicine to about 13 large sellers, including Viagra. The 2009 settlement sparked the agreement that the Pfizer had to be monitored for the following five years with regards to violating the law and continuing to market new drugs.



Detrol, the drug involved in this 2011 case, was advertised to men with swollen prostates and other bladder related conditions. However, the medicine was not approved for these cases and was actually for leaking problems and the need to urinate more often than usual.



Pfizer Inc. denies the accusations and admits to settling as a way to avoid ‘the cost and distraction of litigation.’



The payment to the government of $14.5 million will be divided among state Medicaid programs and the federal government. Whistleblowers who reported the wrong doing by the pharmaceutical company, will receive $3.2 million from the governments share.



The latest settlement was announced last Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s office, Boston.

If you or someone you know have had a similar experience with a drug recall or any other legal matter, please don’t hesitate to contact Vincent Shannon at Shannons Solicitors in Swords and visit Drug Recalls Europe to find a lot of information that can help you on the matter of recalls and defects.

Anti-psychotic drugs discovered in Nurofen Plus packets

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) yesterday began recalling all packs of Nurofen Plus tablets from Irish wholesalers for checking after some were sabotaged in the UK.

Five packets found in Britain and Northern Ireland were found to contain an anti-psychotic drug after being tampered with.

The IMB said it was taking the move as a precautionary measure. Pharmacists were asked to check all packs of Nurofen Plus on their premises before selling them.
The IMB said all unaffected packs may be sold to the public.

It said it had been closely monitoring the discovery on the UK market of packs of Nurofen Plus Tablets containing rogue blister strips of either Seroquel XL 50mg Tablets or Neurontin 100mg capsules.

"While the UK-implicated pack size of Nurofen Plus of 32 tablets is not available for sale on the Irish market, and there is no evidence at this time that packs of Nurofen Plus in Ireland are affected, the IMB, as a precautionary measure, has initiated a recall of all packs from Irish wholesalers for checking," it said. It added that the move had been done in consultation with Reckitt Benckiser, the owner of Nurofen Plus.

So far, five packs of 32-tablet size Nurofen Plus containing rogue blisters have been identified in the UK and Northern Ireland.
"While there have been no serious health consequences to any consumer in the UK, sabotage of the product is suspected and Reckitt Benckiser UK is working with the UK police on a formal investigation into the issue," the IMB said.
It advised people who might have recently purchased the product to check their packs of Nurofen Plus to make sure that they contained Nurofen Plus blister strips and a Nurofen Plus Patient Information leaflet.
"Any patients who have any concerns or in the unlikely event that they find a rogue blister strip or leaflet, should contact their pharmacist."
Distribution of Nurofen Plus has been halted in the UK and in Ireland.
Pharmacists were asked to immediately quarantine all packs of Nurofen Plus Tablets that are in their pharmacies and to open and check those packs for the presence of any rogue blister strips.
Pharmacists should also check that the patient information leaflet in each pack is for Nurofen Plus Tablets and not for another product, the IMB said.

- Don Lavery (Irish Independent)