Comments on Behalf of Whistleblower Glen DeMott on False Claims Act Settlement Reached with Pfizer

WASHINGTON- The following comments were released by the law firm of Grant & Eisenhofer, a counsel to whistleblower/relator Glen DeMott, on the Justice Department's $2.3 billion settlement with Pfizer which was prompted by several lawsuits filed by whistleblowers, known as "Relators," under the Federal False Claims Act. Grant & Eisenhofer attorneys involved in representing Glenn DeMott include Reuben Guttman, John Kairis and Traci Buschner.

"We are pleased that this matter has been resolved by the Department of Justice and now it is time for the Congress, as it focuses on health care reform, to take a hard look at the conduct of the pharmaceutical industry to determine whether further regulation and oversight are needed protect the safety of the American public and to make sure that precious healthcare dollars are prudently spent," said Reuben Guttman, a partner at Grant & Eisenhofer and one of the attorneys representing whistleblower Glen DeMott, a former pharmaceutical sales representative.

"Legislation and regulatory diligence must ensure that prudent medical practice is neither defined nor driven by pharmaceutical marketing campaigns," said John Kairis, another Grant & Eisenhofer partner. "Doctors and patients must be confident that they are receiving accurate information, and the government must know that it is paying for only those drugs and services that are authorized and prescribed for medically necessary purposes, rather than generated by kickbacks or improper off-label marketing."

"There also needs to be legislation that will more easily allow non-governmental third party payors, including health and welfare funds and insurance carriers, to seek the same type of redress against the type of wrongful pharmaceutical industry misconduct that has been redressed under the False Claims Act," said Guttman.

"Finally, we were proud to have represented Glen DeMott, a courageous individual who put his career on the line as one of several whistleblowers who brought to the government's attention the matters that ultimately gave rise to this settlement," said Guttman. "The settlement is yet another reminder of the role that whistleblowers play in helping to enforce compliance with law and protect the public."

Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A. has offices in Washington, D.C., Wilmington, Delaware, and New York City. The firm recently expanded to include False Claims qui tam litigation. Grant & Eisenhofer is known for representing institutional investors and shareholders internationally in securities class actions, corporate governance actions and derivative litigation. In the past five years, Grant & Eisenhofer has recovered more than $12 billion for shareholders and has been on the National Law Journal's list of Top Plaintiffs firms since the list's inception.