Editing Pfizer (section)

====2014 Illegal marketing settlement====
In June 2010, health insurance network [[Blue Cross Blue Shield]] (BCBS) filed a lawsuit against Pfizer for allegedly illegally marketing drugs Bextra, Geodon and Lyrica. BCBS alleged that Pfizer used kickbacks and wrongly persuaded doctors to prescribe the drugs.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Blue Cross Names and Shames Pfizer Execs Linked to Massages-for-Prescriptions Push |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-cross-names-and-shames-pfizer-execs-linked-to-massages-for-prescriptions-push/ |first=Jim |last=Edwards |work=[[CBS News]] |date=June 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2010/06/07/daily52.html |title=Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas sues Pfizer |last=Bounds |first=Jeff |work=[[American City Business Journals]] |date=June 10, 2010}}</ref> According to the lawsuit, Pfizer handed out 'misleading' materials on [[off-label use]]s, sent over 5,000 doctors on trips to the [[Caribbean]] or around the United States, and paid them $2,000 honoraria in return for listening to lectures about Bextra.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/bcbs-names-pfizer-managers-kickback-suit |title=BCBS names Pfizer managers in kickback suit |magazine=Fierce Pharma |first=Tracy |last=Staton |date=June 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/2010/06/11/blue-cross-blue-shield-of-texas-sues-pfizer-over-drug-marketing/ |title=Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas sues Pfizer over drug marketing |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=June 11, 2010 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Despite Pfizer's claims that "the company's intent was pure" in fostering a legal exchange of information among doctors, an internal marketing plan revealed that Pfizer intended to train physicians "to serve as public relations spokespeople."<ref name=toobig/> The case was settled in 2014 for $325{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Pfizer Agrees to $325 Million Neurontin Marketing Accord |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/pfizer-agrees-to-325-million-settlment-over-neurontin.html |first=Christie |last=Smythe |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=June 2, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Fearing that Pfizer is "[[too big to fail]]" and that prosecuting the company would result in disruptions to [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]], federal prosecutors instead charged a subsidiary of a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Pfizer, which is "nothing more than a shell company whose only function is to plead guilty."<ref name=toobig>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/02/pfizer.bextra/index.html |title=Feds found Pfizer too big to nail |last1=Griffin |first1=Drew |last2=Segal |first2=Andy |work=[[CNN]] |date=April 2, 2010}}</ref>