Drug company Pfizer has been sued by a union pension fund in the US for repeatedly violating federal laws governing drug-marketing practices for medicines including Bextra and Neurontin. The $2.3 billion settlement is the largest accord in history with respect to sales techniques.

A union pension fund in the US has sued drugmaker Pfizer, saying that directors should be held liable for the company's repeated violations of federal laws governing drug-marketing practices that resulted in the company having to pay a $2.3 billion settlement. Pfizer's board turned a blind eye to criminal guilty pleas the company entered over marketing practices for medicines such as Bextra and Neurontin. According to Bloomberg: "The $2.3 billion settlement to resolve government probes into Pfizer's marketing practices is the largest accord in history to address such sales techniques."

In separate drug company lawsuit news, GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay more than $1 billion to resolve more than 800 cases alleging its Paxil antidepressant caused birth defects, according to sources familiar with the settlements. The accords provide an average payout of more than $1.2 million to families of affected children, but still leave more than 100 birth-defect cases pending. Officials of Glaxo said they set aside $2.4 billion to resolve litigation over Paxil and the diabetes drug Avandia.

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