Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal allegations that it had illegally marketed its painkiller Bextra, which has been withdrawn, the New York Times reported. 

Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia will collect $331 million, with New York state alone getting $66 million. Only South Carolina chose not to participate in the settlement. 

The sum is the largest ever paid in a health care fraud settlement, as well as the largest criminal kind ever. Altogether, six whistle-blowers will collect $102 million from the federal share of the settlement and more from states' shares. 

One major question begs to be asked: Since when did pharmaceutical companies become criminals?

Apparently for Pfizer, much of the criminal ado occurred back in 2004 when the company was resolving allegations that it had illegally marketed Neuronin, an epilepsy drug. 

Consumer advocates then "heaped scorn on Pfizer and said that illegal marketing was still common in the industry."

These kind of remarks are frightening in the world of healthcare and cry out for the need of established protocols for prescriptions. Using an independent review organization like AllMed ensures that the best, most cost and quality effective drug is being used for a patient.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/business/03health.html?_r=1&ref=health