The New York Times (4/1, B2, Wilson) reports, "Pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker, said Wednesday that it paid about $20 million to 4,500 doctors and other medical professionals for consulting and speaking on its behalf in the last six months of 2009." The company "also paid $15.3 million to 250 academic medical centers and other research groups for clinical trials in the same period."
The disclosure is part of an agreement to settle a government probe into whether the company marketed certain drugs off-label, the Wall Street Journal (4/1, Rockoff, Loftus) reports. Pfizer also agreed to pay $2.3 billion and to plead guilty to a criminal charge under the settlement.
The AP (4/1, Johnson) reports, "The information, posted on its Website, was released...a week after passage of the national healthcare overhaul," which "includes provisions requiring detailed disclosures of even small payments and gifts to physicians by makers of drugs and medical devices, but not until 2013." The company's database includes information on whether physicians have "received payments for consulting services, giving speeches or participating in drug testing, as well as free meals or travel reimbursement." Reuters (4/1) and the Financial Times (4/1, Kirchgaessner) also cover the story.
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