May 13, 2004 – Pfizer admitted to criminal wrongdoing in marketing its drug Neurontin, and will pay $430 million in fines to end federal and state investigations, according to people familiar with the matter. Neurontin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for epilepsy and for a shingles related condition. But a whistleblower alleged that the company offered doctors tickets to the Olympics, trips to Disney World, and retreats to golf resorts to prescribe the drug for unapproved uses. Recent studies show that now more than 90 percent of the drug’s prescriptions are off-label, for conditions as diverse as migraines, mental illness and pain. Over the last five years the drug has brought in nine billion dollars in revenue to the company. While the drug will likely continue generating cash because of off-label prescriptions, the suit is one of the largest Medicaid-fraud settlements.
