Pfizer Inc. has agreed to a $9.5 million settlement with Nevada over allegations that the company withheld safety information about its postmenopausal hormone therapy medications, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced on Monday.
Pfizer and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals allegedly promoted certain postmenopausal hormone therapies to consumers and physicians in the state while withholding information about the safety and effectiveness of the drugs.
As part of the agreement, Pfizer will make an $8 million donation to the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the University Medical Center to support the development of programs affecting women's health issues. Pfizer is also responsible for paying $1.5 million to the state for court costs.
“This settlement will help our local education institutions support programs addressing women’s health issues,” Masto said.
As part of a previous judgment in the case announced in August, Pfizer is required to follow strict management of marketing practices in the future to ensure lawful promotion of the company's products. This includes not making any misleading claims, written or oral, in order to promote the sale of a product; or claiming any Pfizer product is more effective than other products on the market without substantial evidence to support the claim.