Pfizer Agrees to pay $35 million in Settlements over Rapamune Marketing

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will pay $35 million to 41 U.S states and the District of Columbia over alleged false marketing of its drug Rapamune.

Pfizer's Wyeth unit allegedly encouraged doctors to prescribe Rapamine for off-label uses.

Last year, the company had agreed to a $490.9 million settlement with U.S. Department of Justice over illegal marketing of the drug, Reuters reported.

Rapamune is an "immunosuppressive" that inhibits the body's immune system from rejecting a foreign organ. The drug was approved in 1999 to help prevent organ rejection in kidney transplant patients.

Pfizer bought Wyeth in 2009. The alleged misconduct apparently happened before the purchase.

New York's share of the settlement is over $1.7 million, said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

"There has to be one set of rules for everyone, no matter how rich or powerful, and that includes big pharmaceutical companies that make unapproved and unsubstantiated claims about products in order to boost profits," said Attorney General Schneiderman.

"Patients and consumers need to have confidence in the truthfulness of claims made to them by medical providers without having to worry about drug companies manipulating the doctor-patient relationship. Their health and well-being depend on it," Schneiderman said in a news release.

Schneiderman alleged that rapamune was illegally prescribed for patients undergoing heart and liver transplants when the drug was approved by FDA for only kidney transplant patients. Rapamune was also used in improper and unapproved drug combination.  

Pfizer nor its unit Wyeth have admitted to any wrongdoing. The company said in a news release that it "is committed to ensuring that its promotional practices meet or exceed all legal requirements and the expectations of the people we serve."- Wall Street Journal.

Rapamune generated around $350 million in 2013, according to Reuters.