Pfizer Ordered to Pay $142 Million For Illegal Promotion of Neurontin

BOSTON—A federal jury March 25 ordered Pfizer Inc. to pay $142 million for illegally marketing the epilepsy drug Neurontin for off-label uses (In re Neurontin Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation).

After a month-long trial, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts found that Pfizer violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and the California Unfair Competition law, and it ordered the company to pay a total of $47.4 million to Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals.

Under RICO, the amount automatically is tripled, to $142 million, according to Thomas M. ...