March 26 (Bloomberg) -- 'Pfizer Inc. violated U.S. racketeering law in the marketing of its epilepsy drug Neurontin and should pay $142.1 million in damages, a jury decided.
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals claimed in a monthlong trial in federal court in Boston that Pfizer illegally promoted Neurontin for unapproved uses. The insurer said it was misled into believing migraines and bipolar disorder were among the conditions that could be treated effectively with Neurontin, approved in 1993 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for epilepsy.
“The jury found Pfizer engaged in a racketeering conspiracy over a 10-year period,” Tom Sobol, a lawyer for Kaiser, said after yesterday’s verdict. “That bodes well for future cases.”'
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