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In September 2005, another class-action
suit was initiated by consumer advocacy groups against
Pfizer for promoting Lipitor to women and the elderly. The
plaintiffs accused Pfizer of deceptive marketing as there
was no evidence that Lipitor reduced the risk of heart
disease in these segments of the population.
In March 2006, some labor unions sued Pfizer, accusing it of
off-label 2 promotion of Lipitor, which led to
the unions and other third-party payers, and state Medicaid
plans paying billons of dollars in unwarranted Lipitor
prescriptions, over the past five years. They claimed that
Pfizer had illegally marketed Lipitor to people who had high
blood cholesterol but with low risk of heart attack. In such
cases, according to federal guidelines only lifestyle
modifications like diet and exercise were warranted. |
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