HHS And Consumer Group Spar Over Pfizer And Purdue Documents

Four years ago, a consumer advocacy group asked the US Department of Health & Human Services to provide detailed information about the extent to which two drugmakers – Pfizer and Purdue Pharma –were complying with Corporate Integrity Agreements. These are reached as part of a settlement with the federal government for illegal activities and require regular reports to demonstrate compliance. Public Citizen Health Research Group sought this information in order to determine whether the drugmakers complied with their agreements. Pfizer, for instance, had signed multiple CIAs between 2002 and 2009 involving different episodes in which drugs had been marketed illegally. In other words, the drugmaker had entered into agreements at the same time illegal behavior occurred. And so, Public Citizen also wanted to know whether the HHS Office of Inspector General was doing its job. As far as the consumer advocacy group is concerned, the Pfizer track record raised “a serious question about the adequacy of OIG oversight of companies during the CIA process,” according to court documents. A CIA is generally viewed by drugmakers as a favorable alternative to going to court to defend allegations made by the US Department of Justice. Typically, a drugmaker will pay a large fine and sign a CIA in exchange for avoiding what is known in the pharmaceutical industry as the corporate death penalty – exclusion from participating in federal healthcare programs. In pressing for the informat...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs