Pfizer, Abbott Labs, AbbVie Legal Chiefs Get Big Pharma Paydays

The law department leaders at Pfizer Inc., Abbott Laboratories, and AbbVie Inc. collectively received roughly $26 million in total compensation last year, according to a trio of recent securities filings.

New York-based Pfizer paid longtime general counsel Douglas Lankler more than $7.1 million in 2021, according to an annual proxy statement filed March 17. Pfizer is one of several Big Pharma companies continuing to reap the benefits from a coronavirus pandemic-related uptick in business.

Abbott Labs disclosed in a proxy filed March 18 that its general counsel Hubert Allen received nearly $6.4 million last year. The company in January landed ...