Parke-Davis

The American pharmaceutical company Parke-Davis proudly advertised its "Coca Cordial" in medical journals.

A Miracle Drug's Dark Side Deborah Blum 2011

The answer is "off-label" marketing, in which Neurontin manufacturer Parke-Davis (a division of Warner-Lambert purchased by Pfizer in 2000) marketed Neurontin to doctors for uses not approved by the FDA (because doctors can legally prescribe drugs for uses not approved by the FDA).

Bruce E. Levine: Just How Corrupted Has American Medicine Become? 2009

In 1996, David Franklin, a young biologist, took a sales representative position for Parke-Davis.

Bruce E. Levine: Just How Corrupted Has American Medicine Become? 2009

The tactics used by Parke-Davis and other drug companies to manipulate doctors make it clear that too many doctors have been willing participants in the corruption of their profession.

Bruce E. Levine: Just How Corrupted Has American Medicine Become? 2009

Franklin reports that a Parke-Davis executive informed him and his fellow sales reps:

Bruce E. Levine: Just How Corrupted Has American Medicine Become? 2009

But thanks to a Parke-Davis whistle blower, we have first-hand evidence of off-label marketing -- and how the Neurontin financial bonanza was created.

Bruce E. Levine: Just How Corrupted Has American Medicine Become? 2009

In 1996 a whistle-blower named David Franklin, a medical-science liaison with Parke-Davis (now a division of Pfizer), filed suit against the company over its off-label promotion of this drug.

The Drug Pushers 2006

Anthony Wild, who was hired to lead Parke-Davis in the mid-1990s, told the journalist Greg Critser, the author of Generation Rx, that one of his first moves upon his appointment was to increase the incentive pay given to successful reps.

The Drug Pushers 2006

Neurontin was approved for the treatment of epilepsy, but according to the lawsuit, Parke-Davis was promoting it for other conditions — including bipolar disorder, migraines, and restless legs syndrome — for which there was little or no scientific evidence that it worked.

The Drug Pushers 2006

Neurontin was approved for the treatment of epilepsy, but according to the lawsuit, Parke-Davis was promoting it for other conditions — including bipolar disorder, migraines, and restless legs syndrome — for which there was little or no scientific evidence that it worked.

The Drug Pushers 2006