Pfizer continues their track record of paying big bucks for underhanded dealings. I'm sure it doesn't matter how much they rack up in damages—as long as they're allowed to take consumers for everything they've got, this just isn't going to stop.

It hasn't been too good a year for Pfizer—in the spring, they paid up in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit after shady drug testing in Nigeria . And this fall, they agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle criminal charges after spending years illegally promoting drugs for off-label uses.

And now they're ending the year on a low, no…shameful note—paying out $103 million in punitive damages to two women who developed breast cancer after taking hormone drugs made by Wyeth and Pharmacia & Upjohn (now Pfizer subsidiaries).

Of course, it's all just a drop in the bucket when you're pulling in almost $48 billion a year in revenue.

With Pfizer raking in that kind of cash, they probably think they can just pay off the people whose lives they destroy, and all will be forgotten. Of course, every time, they insist they've "acted responsibly" and that they always have our best interests in mind. As if this is all just a big misunderstanding.

In Pennsylvania, where the trials were carried out, "wanton and reckless" conduct must be found before punitive damages are awarded. During these trials, witnesses testified that Wyeth paid ghostwriters of medical journal articles to minimize breast cancer concerns, and that nobody bothered to study the known risks of taking these poisons.

So far, 10 out of the 12 cases like these have resulted in women with breast cancer winning damages. Many are on appeal, and Pfizer of course plans on appealing the decisions in these two cases, too.

Can any amount of money make up for the suffering of women who placed their trust in their doctors, Big Pharma, and the FDA to take care of them? How much longer will we fill the pockets of companies that are willing to put our very lives in danger, then turn around and claim they didn't do anything wrong?

This behavior is absolutely disgusting. And it's made far more complicated by the fact we're talking about drugs that have been approved by the FDA. As long as Big Pharma's crimes are being sanctioned by our very own government, I just don't know if there's an end to this disgusting cycle of deceive the people now, pay later.

Sources:"Pfizer ordered to pay $103m over hormone drugs and breast cancer," British Medical Journal (www.bmj.com)."Another Loss for Pfizer in Drug Suits," The New York Times (www.nyt.com).