SALEM - Oregon's Attorney General on Tuesday announced the largest consumer drug settlement ever for the state - $3.34 million from Pfizer Inc.
The claim was over deceptive marketing claims related to its product Zyvox.
The new antibiotic is used for treating certain types of pneumonia and bacterial skin infections. Oregon lawyers claimed the company misrepresented that the expensive branded drug was superior to an existing generic, John Kroger's spokesman Tony Green said.
The case also claimed Zyvox increased the danger of microbial resistance to a second-generation antibiotic.
The money will go to the State Accident Insurance Fund and Oregon Department of Corrections to fund a new Consumer Education and Antimicrobial Stewardship Program administered by the Oregon Public Health Division/Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology and the Oregon Patient Safety Commission, Kroger's office said.
Oregon also reached a settlement with Pfizer relating to its Internet marketing practices through the use of “sponsored links” without disclosing required risk information. The company is now required to follow the Federal Drug Administration’s interpretation of the law.
