The 10 Biggest Pfizer Lawsuits in Company History
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In the wake of COVID-19, and the severe side effects arising from the vaccine, you must wonder if you can sue the pharmaceutical companies. Such fear gets to you, especially when you learn that even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff will not take a stance on Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster injections due to a lack of verified data. Regardless of how severe the side effects are, Pfizer, Moderna, and other pharmaceutical companies will not be liable. Sadly, even the government will not compensate you for damages. This harsh truth could have you questioning the integrity of such companies. Therefore, we have rounded up the ten biggest Pfizer lawsuits that shed light on the company’s history of denying any wrongdoings, yet still paying millions of dollars in settlements after good attorneys go after them.
10. Protonix – $55 Million
In 2012, Pfizer agreed to pay $55 million for illegally promoting Protonix off-label. Wyeth, the company’s subsidiary, illegally introduced and promoted the drug between February 2000 and June 2001. The drug was used to treat various gastro-esophageal reflux diseases (GERD). Thus, Wyeth sought the FDA’s approval to promote Protonix as a short-term treatment for erosive esophagitis. The FDA approved the drug but later discovered that Wyeth promoted the use of Protonix for all forms of GERD. Consequently, Wyeth was accused of misbranding the drug because it marketed the drug for an unapproved use. Pfizer hence agreed to pay the $55 million, plus interests to settle the lawsuit.
9. Trovan – $75 Million
In 2009, Pfizer was in the spotlight because it had given 200 Nigerian children an experimental anti-meningitis drug, Trovan. The drug caused the death of 11 children while the rest were left with disabilities such as deafness blindness, paralysis, and brain damage. Even when faced with the lawsuit, Pfizer was adamant that the deaths were due to meningitis, not their drug. However, Pfizer agreed to pay $75 million as compensation which the Kano state government agreed to, resulting in the dropping of the $6.5 billion-dollar suit filed by the Nigeria federal government. The Kano state had filed criminal and civil lawsuits against the drug company and demanded $2.75 billion in compensation. From the $75 million settlement, $35 million was for the victims, $30 million for rebuilding the Infectious Diseases Hospital where Pfizer conducted the trials, and the remaining $10 million for covering legal costs that the Kano state government incurred. In 2011, Pfizer started making a series of payments to the victims’ families by paying four families $175,000 each. It took two years before the payments were issued because DNA tests had to be carried out to determine which family was entitled to the payout.
8. Faulty Heart Valves- $215 Million
Pfizer, through its subsidiary, Shiley Inc., sold Bjork-Shiley Convexo-Concave heart valves between 1979 and 1986. Around 55,000 patients received the implant, and in the mid-1980s, the FDA forced their removal from the market. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. In 1990, under pressure from the FDA and the Public Citizen Health Research Group, Pfizer sent letters to cardiologists who had implanted the devices. Pfizer wanted the surgeons to contact the patients who had the discontinued device. About 20,000 Americans were in danger of the faulty artificial heart valves, and Pfizer added they would follow up the letters with a $2 million campaign to track down each patient and warn them. Since its introduction, the valve had fractured at least 391 times and caused 250 deaths by the end of 1990. By 1991, 450 valve failures had been reported, resulting in 350 deaths. Pfizer dealt with multiple lawsuits and expected a settlement that would range from $155 million to $205 million. In August 1992, a judge wrapped up the suit with a $215 million settlement. Under the settlement terms, Pfizer would pay $90 million to $140 million for the recipients’ medical consultations. The company would also pay $75 million for research to identify any fracture risks and any valve replacement surgeries. Additionally, each valve recipient received $2,500. Pfizer’s then-CEO said the complaints regarding the valve lacked merit and only agreed to the settlements to end the lawsuit.
7. Chantix-$288 Million
Chantix is a drug designed to help smokers stop smoking and is meant for short-term use. The drug was linked with having psychological effects such as suicidal thoughts, depression, hostility, and agitation. According to The Guardian, Timothy John committed suicide in April 2013 after taking the medication. He only took the drug for eight days before hanging himself, joining 24 more people who had committed suicide since its launch in 2006. As a result, around 2,700 lawsuits were filed against Pfizer. Consequently, sales of the drug fell from $848 million in 2008 to $648 million in 2013. In March 2013, Pfizer agreed to settle 80% of the 2,700 state and federal lawsuits against Chantix. The drug company took a $273 million charge to cover the costs and set aside an additional $15 million to wrap up the remaining 20% claims. Although the settlements were made, Chantix could still be a risky drug considering that on July 16, 2021, Pfizer announced that it was recalling two lots of the smoking cessation treatment. It discovered the presence of N-nitroso-varenicline that can potentially increase the risk of cancer in humans.
6. Rapamune – $490.9 Million
According to The New York Times, Pfizer agreed to pay $491 million to settle civil and criminal charges over the illegal marketing of Rapamune. The kidney-transplant drug helps prevent the rejection of a transplanted organ by the body’s immune system. Although FDA had approved the drug in 1999 for use by recipients of kidney transplants, Wyeth promoted the treatment for other organ transplants. It went as far as giving monetary incentives to push the sale of the drug. Wyeth pleaded guilty and was charged with the misbranding violation; hence, agreed to pay a criminal fine of $157.58 million and forfeit assets worth $ $76 million. The settlement increased because the Department of Justice joined the two whistleblowers in their lawsuit in 2010. The whistle-blowers’ lawyer predicted that with the government on their side, they could recover hundreds of millions of dollars in inappropriate billings. Since Rapamune had $376 million sales in 2008, the government was allowed to legally collect up to three times the amount it had been defrauded and pay whistleblowers 15-25% of the total. Of the $490.9 million, $257.4 million went to civil settlements, while the remaining was for criminal fines.