The federal government and several states have asked the court to allow them to join a whistleblower lawsuit that accuses Pfizer’s Wyeth unit of giving doctors who prescribe Rapamune kickbacks and promoting the organ transplant drug for off-label uses.  The lawsuit was first filed in 2005 by two Pfizer sales representatives.

Rapamune is an immunosuppressant that prevents the body from rejecting organ transplants, most often used in kidney transplants. However, it is commonly prescribed by doctors for liver transplants, an off-label usage.

The whistleblowers claim that Pfizer gave cash and incentives to doctors to prescribe Rapamune. In addition, they said the company specifically targeted hospitals with a large proportion of African American patients, who are considered high risk. While Pfizer claims Rapamune is not contraindicated for African Americans, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced in June it would investigate if Wyeth’s Rapamune promotions were specifically targeted toward African Americans.

Read the entire article, “DOJ to Intervene in Rapumune Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Pfizer”