A Tribute To BC's Bora Bhai Tigers Eye - Our Dear Mijanul Akbar Dada, Chief Auditor, State of Arkansas

[bujhee kom]

News Releases Consumer Alerts

Wednesday, Sep 2, 2009

MCDANIEL ANNOUNCES TWO SETTLEMENTS WITH PFIZER INC.

LITTLE ROCK- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is pleased to announce the State of Arkansas's participation in two pivotal settlement agreements with Pfizer Inc. The first settlement was reached between over 40 states and the federal government and Pfizer. The agreement settles civil and criminal allegations that Pfizer and its subsidiaries paid kickbacks and engaged in off-labeling marketing campaigns that improperly promoted numerous drugs that Pfizer manufactures. The second settlement between 43 states and Pfizer settles consumer protection claims related to the alleged improper marketing of Pfizer's antipsychotic drug Geodon.

In the joint state/federal settlement, the largest settlement in history in a health care fraud matter, Pfizer will pay the states and the federal government a total of $1 billion in civil damages and penalties to compensate Medicaid, Medicare, and various federal healthcare programs for harm suffered as a result of its conduct. In addition, a Pfizer subsidiary, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, Inc., has agreed to plead guilty to a felony violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and to pay a criminal fine and forfeiture of $1.3 billion. The criminal component of the resolution centers on the illegal marketing and promotion of Bextra, an anti-inflammatory drug that Pfizer pulled from the market in 2005. Because of the illegal promotion, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to a felony violation of the FDCA for misbranding the drug with the intent to defraud or mislead.

The government entities alleged that Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world, engaged in a pattern of unlawful marketing activity to promote multiple drugs including Bextra, Geodon, Lyrica, Zyvox, Aricept, Celebrex, Lipitor, Norvasc, Relpax, Viagra, Zithromax, Zoloft and Zyrtec. While it is not illegal for a physician to prescribe a drug for an unapproved use, federal law prohibits a manufacturer from promoting a drug for uses not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As part of the joint settlement, the State of Arkansas will receive $1,212,787.44 in restitution and other recovery.

A National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units team of representatives from 10 states participated in the investigation and conducted the settlement negotiations with Pfizer on behalf of the settling states. Mijanul Akbar, Chief Auditor, represented the State of Arkansas on that select panel. "I am proud that Arkansas was able to play such a prominent role in this investigation. I also want to commend Mijanul Akbar for his excellent work that contributed to this settlement ," said Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

In the multistate consumer settlement, the States alleged that Pfizer engaged in unfair and deceptive practices when it marketed Geodon for off-label uses. Geodon has been approved by the FDA for treatment of schizophrenia in adults and for manic or mixed episodes of bipolar disorder in adults. However, Pfizer promoted Geodon for a number of off-label uses, including promoting Geodon for pediatric use and for use at higher than FDA-approved dosages.

In the related settlement between the states and Pfizer, Pfizer has agreed to change how it markets Geodon and to not promote Geodon for uses which are not approved by the FDA, called "off label" uses. The settlement mandates that Pfizer shall:

• Post on its website a list of physicians and related entities who received, or receive, payments from Pfizer until 2014;
• Not make any false, misleading or deceptive claims regarding Geodon or promote Geodon for off-label uses;
• Require its medical staff, rather than its marketing staff, to have ultimate responsibility for developing and approving the medical content for all medical letters regarding Geodon, including those that may describe off-label information, and
• Provide specific, accurate, objective and scientifically balanced responses to unsolicited requests for off-label information regarding Geodon.

For a six-year period, Pfizer must:

• Disclose on its web site information about grants it awards, including continued medical education grants, for at least two years following each grant and maintain the information for five years;
• Not use grants to promote Geodon, or condition continuing medical education (CME) funding on Pfizer's approval of speakers or program content; and
• Contractually require CME providers to disclose Pfizer's financial support of their programs and any financial relationship with faculty and speakers.

"The States, both independently and in conjunction with the federal government, actively monitor the marketing activities of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Today's settlements are evidence of these efforts, and will ensure that Pfizer's future drug marketing activities comply with all applicable laws," said Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

The State of Arkansas will receive $573,853 in the multistate consumer settlement which will be held in trust and used to fund the Attorney General's ongoing consumer protection enforcement efforts.
The State of Arkansas will receive $573,853 in the multistate consumer settlement which will be held in trust and used to fund the Attorney General's ongoing consumer protection enforcement efforts.
###

http://ag.arkansas.gov/newsroom/inde...=1&news_id=261


This is our own boro bhai, our dear Mijan dada bhai,Tigers Eye bhai, he brought corporate pherma giant like Pfizer on it's knees and made them pee in their pantaloons, I salute you Tigers Eye bhai, we are so fortunate to have your company, you compassion, wit, fun and joy right here in BC with us for years without really knowing what YOU do/have done for humanity and the hardworking average people of Arkansas. We should be humbled beyond beliefe just knowing how humble and kind of a person you are. You have always only taught us to be a better human being. Salaam dear Tigers Eye bhai.

http://www.banglacricket.com/alochona/member.php?u=1743

[zinatf]

So Proud of You Mijan bhaia Congratulations

[ammark]

Congratulations Mijan Bhai. Feeling very proud of you, even though this news item is from 2009 . But I recall reading about when they were charged for the dealings over the antipsychotic drug back then.

[Sohel]

WTG Miju! Bagher Bachcha!

[AsifTheManRahman]

Burger King uncle bhai, this was posted on the same day it happened, almost three years ago.

http://banglacricket.com/alochona/sh...tor#post978352

So we've known about our Akbar uncle bhai's heroics (and that he's a true RBT) for a while now. Before that, though, we used to think he was a pussy cat pretending to be a tiger like our cricketers. Morale of the story: win the World Cup!

[deshimon]

Any way Congratulation!

[Kabir]

Thanks for posting this b_k bhai. Mijan bhai's indeed an amazing individual. I wanna meet him in person. He promised to visit me when he's in Toronto next.

This topic was discussed earlier. But such a topic never gets old. This was one of the largest settlements in US history for pharmaceuticals I believe.

[F6_Turbo]

Originally Posted by Kabir

This topic was discussed earlier. But such a topic never gets old. This was one of the largest settlements in US history for pharmaceuticals I believe.

This. I'd much rather get reminders(in my case - this is fresh news!) of this sort over and over again than the tedious,

Atheism vs Religion threads.

[Rubu]

Mizan Bhai, what a surprise. I mean, there are other people besides rednecks in Arkansas? Wow!

Or, are you a redneck, disguised as a Bangladeshi?

/JK, congrats.

[Ajfar]

I think this was around the when Pfizer started to decline. I now work at the building that used to be owned by Pfizer. Around 2009 they started laying off loads of people and shifting people around to other facilities. A lot of bangali scientists from our community got laid off from Pfizer. They were about to abandon the place in New London, CT, the company I work for saw this as an opportunity and bought the entire place for dirt cheap. Anyway long story short, thanks to Mijan bhai now I have an awesome view of the Thames River just a couple steps away from my desk.

[WorldCup11]

Congrats dear fellow CC bhai. Just read the article (though late) and proud of you

[Rifat]

MashaAllah! Now I know why and how Cats_Eye evolved into Tigers_Eye

again, thanks for the thread Bujhee Kom bro

[Antora]

Oh wow, Congratulations

[akabir77]

Mizan bhai zindabad...

[Kabir]

Speaking of Mijan bhai...I used to pull his legs with this before...that there are so many types of Mijan...

Kana Mijan
Lengra Mijan
Dakait Mijan
and then there is, Chief Auditor Mijan!

Weird world we live in!

[mufi_02]

Congrats Mizan bhai. We are all proud of you

In Wiki, there is a page for famous Bangladeshi-Americans. I think Mizan bhai's name should go there.

[ahnaf]

Congrates bhaiya..

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Opera Mobile)