During the first six months of 2009, Pfizer paid about $20 million to some 4,500 medical professionals in consulting and speaking fees, reports the New York Times. In addition, Pfizer paid $15.3 million to 250 academic medical centers for clinical trials. These details were released as part of an agreement Pfizer made with the US government during an investigation into the company's promotion of drugs for off-label uses. Eli Lilly, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline have made similar disclosures.