Pfizer Paying $450 Million Fine to US Government

This $450 million Pfizer fine is to resolve allegations that its subsidiary, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, unlawfully marketed the immunosuppressant drug, Rapamune. This came about from two whistleblowers to push the case forward. Wyeth marketed Rapamune for unapproved purposes, which is a violation of the Federal False Claims Act. They also paid kickbacks to doctors to increase their sales.
This is similar to GlaxoSmithKlines same False Claims Act violation where GSK paid $3 Billion for misbranding, and kickbacks to doctors. Recently, Abbott Labs paid $1.6 billion in fines and even criminal dereliction of their drug Depakote. It has been reported that almost every pharmaceutical manufacturer has been sanctioned civilly, criminally or possibly both the last ten years.
There are many, many kickbacks as doctors are the main distributors of these drugs. Many children doctors are on BigPharma’s payrolls or are influence to be an opinion leader and write about the so called positive effects of these drugs. Dr. Drew Pinsky is a paid opinion leader to pharmaceutical manufacturer(s) as widely reported.
There is a wide amount of alternative solutions to BigPharma drugs, but doctors don’t get paid to ill advice parents and patients. They get paid big bonuses by BigPharma. Many non-invasive non drug alternatives are far better solutions for parents and children. But this is the US and money, money, money is the route psychiatrists and doctors take as appose to a homeopathic solution, which costs much less and is much more effectives as no long term effects take over the patient.
These Bigpharma firms have mountains of money to pay these fines. If your physician had committed the same misrepresentation, and paid proportional fines to resolve civil and criminal penalties, it is a safe to say that your doctor would be out of business. Unfortunately this type problem such as Rapamune case, and the litany of similar cases is not just the unlawful marketing that shows how pharmaceutical marketing operates. It shows the dereliction of duty false hipocratic oath that moves from Bigpharma to their representatives to the doctor to the parent. There are so many links in the chain that could change this criminal pharma pattern. Take a Stand!!