Pfizer Agrees to Another Million-Dollar Settlement, This Time for Chantix

WASHINGTON — Pfizer, which has paid some of the largest healthcare fraud and criminal fines in U.S. history, has agreed to a $44 million settlement for the smoking cessation drug Chantix.

The class-action lawsuit alleges that Pfizer failed to follow current good manufacturing practices, causing Chantix to become contaminated with a nitrosamine, which can cause cancer.

The settlement covers people and third-party payors who purchased or paid for Chantix from retailers in the United States and its territories between Sept. 29, 2015, and Sept. 17, 2021.

Pfizer is the third-most fined pharmaceutical company in the U.S. with approximately $11.2 billion in penalties, according to Good Jobs First Violation Tracker.

Johnson & Johnson leads the way with $25.1 billion, followed by GlaxoSmithKline with $11.7 billion.

In 2009, Pfizer reached a $2.3 billion settlement with the Justice Department over the illegal promotion of pharmaceuticals, including a $1.195 billion criminal fine and $105 million in criminal forfeiture involving a Pfizer subsidiary.

It was the largest criminal fine in U.S. history at the time.

If the Chantix settlement receives final approval, eligible consumers who submit valid claims will receive a share of the portion of the settlement fund allocated to consumers. Individual payments will be based on the amount paid for Chantix and cannot exceed the amount a person spent on the drug. The final payment amount will depend on the number of valid claims and the documented purchases.

Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by Sept. 14, 2026. Consumers who want to opt out of the settlement or object to it also must meet that deadline. People who remain in the settlement but do not file a claim will not receive a payment and generally will give up their right to pursue separate claims covered by the settlement.

A final approval hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13, 2026, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Payments could be delayed while claims are processed or if appeals are filed.

More information about the Chantix settlement, including claim forms and deadlines, is available through the official settlement website, which can be found here.