SALEM, Ore. — Pfizer has agreed to shell out $975,000 after Oregon’s Department of Justice found the pharmaceutical giant misled consumers with deceptive coupons.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced details of the six-figure settlement on Monday, saying the pharmaceutical giant was “taking advantage of Oregonians.”
“Pfizer enticed consumers with these coupons for one reason only –to sell its brand-name drugs instead of a cheaper generic,” she said in a statement. “These coupons were simply not a good deal for consumers, who were misled by Pfizer into thinking they were.”
The pharmaceutical giant’s coupons promised that consumers would “pay no more than” $15, $20 or $25 as copayment for certain brand name drugs, but customers wound up paying much more. A four-month investigation from the Oregon Department of Justice found that 371 people paid $40,000 more than the amount promised by the coupons.
The misleading coupons were for Estring to treat vaginal atrophy, Quillivant and Quillichew ER for ADHD, Nicotrol Inhaler to help quit smoking, and Flector patches for treatment of minor injuries.
