Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Agrees to Pay $490.9 Million for Marketing the Prescription Drug Rapamune for Unapproved Uses

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., a pharmaceutical company acquired by Pfizer, Inc. in 2009, has agreed to pay $490.9 million to resolve its criminal and civil liability arising from the unlawful marketing of the prescription drug Rapamune for uses not approved as safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Justice Department announced today.  Rapamune is an “immunosuppressive” drug that prevents the body’s immune system from rejecting a transplanted organ.

 “FDA’s drug approval process ensures companies market their products for uses proven safe and effective,” said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division.  “We will hold accountable those who put patients’ health at risk in pursuit of financial gain.”

The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) requires a company such as Wyeth to specify the intended uses of a product in its new drug application to the FDA.  Once approved, a drug may not be introduced into interstate commerce for unapproved or “off-label” uses until the company receives FDA approval for the new intended uses.  In 1999, Wyeth received approval from the FDA for Rapamune use in renal (kidney) transplant patients.  However, the information alleges, Wyeth trained its national Rapamune sales force to promote the use of the drug in non-renal transplant patients.  Wyeth provided the sales force with training materials regarding non-renal transplant use and trained them on how to use these materials in presentations to transplant physicians.  Then, Wyeth encouraged sales force members, through financial incentives, to target all transplant patient populations to increase Rapamune sales.

“The FDA approves drugs for certain uses after lengthy clinical trials,” said Sanford Coats, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.  “Compliance with these approved uses is important to protect patient safety, and drug companies must only market and promote their drugs for FDA-approved uses.  The FDA approved Rapamune for limited use in renal transplants and required the label to include a warning against certain uses.  Yet, Wyeth trained its sales force to promote Rapamune for off-label uses not approved by the FDA, including ex-renal uses, and even paid bonuses to incentivize those sales.  This was a systemic, corporate effort to seek profit over safety.  Companies that ignore compliance with FDA regulations will face criminal prosecution and stiff penalties.”

Wyeth has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging it with a misbranding violation under the FDCA.  The resolution includes a criminal fine and forfeiture totaling $233.5 million.  Under a plea agreement, which has been accepted by the U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, Wyeth has agreed to pay a criminal fine of $157.58 million and forfeit assets of $76 million.

The resolution also includes civil settlements with the federal government and the states totaling $257.4 million.  Wyeth has agreed to settle its potential civil liability in connection with its off-label marketing of Rapamune.  The government alleged that Wyeth violated the False Claims Act, from 1998 through 2009, by promoting Rapamune for unapproved uses, some of which were not medically accepted indications and, therefore, were not covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs.  These unapproved uses included non-renal transplants, conversion use (switching a patient from another immunosuppressant to Rapamune) and using Rapamune in combination with other immunosuppressive agents not listed on the label.  The government alleged that this conduct resulted in the submission of false claims to government health care programs.  Of the amounts to resolve the civil claims, Wyeth will pay $230,112,596 to the federal government and $27,287,404 to the states.

“Wyeth’s conduct put profits ahead of the health and safety of a highly vulnerable patient population dependent on life-sustaining therapy,” said Antoinette V. Henry, Special Agent in Charge, Metro-Washington Field Office, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.  “FDA OCI is committed to working with the Department of Justice and our law enforcement counterparts to protect public health.”

Pfizer is currently subject to a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General that it entered in connection with another matter in 2009, shortly before acquiring Wyeth.  The CIA covers former Wyeth employees who now perform sales and marketing functions at Pfizer.  Under the CIA, Pfizer is subject to exclusion from federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for a material breach of the CIA, and the company is subject to monetary penalties for less significant breaches.

“We are committed to enforcing the laws protecting public health, taxpayers and government health programs, and to promoting effective compliance programs,” said Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services.  “Our integrity agreement with Pfizer, which acquired Wyeth, includes required risk assessments, a confidential disclosure program, and auditing and monitoring to help prospectively identify improper marketing.”

The civil settlement resolves two lawsuits pending in federal court in the Western District of Oklahoma under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and share in any recovery.  The first action was filed by a former Rapamune sales representative, Marlene Sandler, and a pharmacist, Scott Paris.  The second action was filed by a former Rapamune sales representative, Mark Campbell.  The whistleblowers’ share of the civil settlement has not been resolved.

“The success obtained in this case is an excellent example of how we address the threats to our nation’s health care system; the importance of the public reporting of fraud, waste, or abuse; and the significant results that can be obtained through multiple agencies cooperating in investigations,” said James E. Finch, Special Agent in Charge of the Oklahoma City Division of the FBI.

The criminal case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma (USAO) and the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Consumer Protection Branch.  The civil settlement was handled by USAO and the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch.  The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Counsel to the Inspector General; the HHS Office of General Counsel, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel; and the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.  These matters were investigated by the FBI; the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigation; HHS’ Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations and Office of Audit Services; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General and Office of Audit Services; the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ Office of Inspector General; and TRICARE Program Integrity.

Except for conduct admitted in connection with the criminal plea, the claims settled by the civil agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of civil liability.  The civil lawsuits are captioned United States ex rel. Sandler et al v. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Case No. 05-6609 (E.D. Pa.) and United States ex rel. Campbell v. Wyeth, Inc., Case No. 07-00051 (W.D. Okla.).

Pfizer Agrees to Pay $55 Million for Illegally Promoting Protonix for Off-Label Use

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Pfizer Agrees to Pay $55 Million for Illegally Promoting Protonix for Off-Label Use

Pfizer Inc. will pay $55 million plus interest to resolve allegations that Wyeth LLC illegally introduced and caused the introduction into interstate commerce of a misbranded drug, Protonix, between February 2000 and June 2001, the Justice Department announced today.

 

Wyeth manufactured and promoted Protonix tablets. Protonix is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that was used by physicians to treat various forms of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Wyeth sought and obtained approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to promote Protonix for short-term treatment of erosive esophagitis–a condition associated with GERD that can only be diagnosed with an invasive endoscopy. However, the government alleges that Wyeth fully intended to, and did, promote Protonix for all forms of GERD, including symptomatic GERD, which was far more common and could be diagnosed without an endoscopy.

 

Under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, manufacturers must obtain FDA approval for any indication for use for which a manufacturer intends to market a drug.   A drug is misbranded if its labeling does not bear adequate directions for use by a layman safely and for the purposes for which it is intended.   A prescription drug must be prescribed by a physician and is only exempt from the adequate directions for use requirement if a number of conditions are met, including that the manufacturer only intended to sell that drug for an FDA-approved use.   A prescription drug marketed for unapproved off-label uses does not qualify for the exemption and is misbranded.

 

As alleged in the government’s complaint, Wyeth’s illegal promotional campaign for Protonix was multi-faceted. Before Wyeth even began promoting Protonix, the FDA warned Wyeth that its proposed promotional materials were misleading because Wyeth had “overstated” its “erosive esophagitis indication” by “suggesting that Protonix is safe and effective in the treatment of patients with . . . GERD. Protonix is not indicated for treatment of GERD symptoms that occur in the absence of esophageal erosions.”   Despite the FDA’s admonishment, the government alleges that Wyeth trained its sales force to promote Protonix for all forms of GERD, beyond its limited erosive esophagitis indication, and that Wyeth sales representatives frequently promoted Protonix to physicians for unapproved uses, such as symptomatic GERD.

 

In addition, Wyeth allegedly promoted Protonix as the “best PPI for nighttime heartburn.” even though there was never any clinical evidence that Protonix was more effective than any other PPI for nighttime heartburn. The allegations in the complaint are that this superiority slogan was formulated at the highest levels of the company. Wyeth retained an outside market research firm, at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars, to ensure that sales representatives delivered that misleading superiority message.

 

Finally, the government alleges that Wyeth used continuing medical education (CME) programs to promote Protonix for unapproved uses. CME programs are sponsored by accredited independent providers, such as universities, nonprofit organizations, or specialty societies. Pharmaceutical companies are permitted to provide financial support for CME programs, but they are not permitted to use CME programs as promotional vehicles for off-label indications.According to the complaint, Wyeth spent millions of dollars providing “unrestricted educational grants” to CME providers, and these grants invariably included promises that Wyeth would not attempt to influence the content of the program in any way. Nevertheless, the government alleges that one of Wyeth’s core marketing tactics for Protonix was to use CME programs to drive off-label use of the drug. According to the complaint, the Protonix “brand team” influenced virtually every aspect of these CME programs:   program topics, speaker selection, organization, and content. In addition, the government alleges that Wyeth even insisted that the CME program materials use the same color and appearance as Protonix promotional materials–a tactic that Wyeth and the vendor called “branducation.”

 

“Today’s settlement once again demonstrates our commitment to making sure drug manufacturers follow the rules,” said Stuart Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.   “Drug manufacturers should not be permitted to profit from misbranding their products; the disgorgement remedy here ensures that this does not happen in this case.”

 

“Wyeth tried to cheat the system by obtaining a limited FDA approval for Protonix, fully intending to promote this drug for additional, unapproved uses,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “Wyeth ignored the FDA’s warning not to promote Protonix off-label, and then went so far as to contaminate CME programs that physicians rely on for unbiased, independent scientific information. Today’s settlement reinforces this office’s historic commitment to holding drug companies responsible for their misconduct.”

 

This case was litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Schumacher and Susan Winkler of Ortiz’s Health Care Fraud Unit, together with former Trial Attorney Kevin Larsen and Deputy Director Jill Furman in the Department of Justice Consumer Protection Branch.   This case was investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations; the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and the FBI.

 

This civil complaint and settlement resolve the United States’ investigation of Wyeth related to the promotion of Protonix for unapproved uses.   The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, allegations which Pfizer denies; there has been no determination of liability. Pfizer acquired Wyeth in October 2009.   Since August 2009, Pfizer has been under a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, which agreement remains in effect.