Pfizer hit with record $2.3bn fine for marketing

A £1.3bn (£800m) fine was handed out after Pfizer pleaded guilty for promoting Bextra as a treatment for acute pain.

The drug had only been approved by the US authorities as a relief for arthritis and period pain as larger doses could result in harmful side effects to the heart, kidneys and skin.

Pfizer was also fined another $1bn for its marketing of several other drugs. It is the fourth time Pfizer has been found guilty of breaking US drug rules since 2002.

Previous charges against Pfizer have included a £430m fine in 2004 for its marketing of epilepsy drug Neutrontin. A number of Pfizer whistle-blowers will share about $102m of the fine.

Earlier this year drug manufacturer was cleared by the UK Advertising Standards Authority over its campaign warning against the dangers of buying drugs over the internet. The Pfizer ad featured a man pulling a dead rat out of his mouth.

There has been nothing of the scale of the Pfizer fine in recent UK marketing history.

ASA drug-related complaints to be upheld include one for the Prince of Wales' Duchy Herbals brand. It was forced to pull ads for two of its tincture products after the ASA ruled there was no scientific evidence to back up its claims.

In January the ASA banned a campaign by the Advanced Medical Institute for its for its "Want longer lasting sex?" ads. The ads were for a nasal spray designed to help with premature ejaculation.

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