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By Evelyn Pringle (about the author) Page 5 of 5 page(s)
Many states are going after the drug makers to retrieve the money spent on illegal off-label prescriptions. In July, 2006, Mississippi filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly with allegations that the company improperly marketed Zyprexa for "off-label" uses and defrauded the state Medicaid program out of millions of dollars, according to the July 27, 2006, Jackson Clarion Ledger.
The lawsuit alleges that Lilly sales representatives convinced Mississippi doctors to prescribe the Zyprexa to patients who suffered from anxiety, mood swings and disturbed sleep when the drug was only FDA approved for the treatment of adults with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
The suit also alleges that Lilly did not properly emphasize the dangers of the drug, such as an increased risk of diabetes, and that treating Medicaid patients who became ill from the drug has increased Medicaid costs.
Experts in the medical profession who have not been compromised by the drug companies are furious over the practice of drugging kids with dangerous psychiatric drugs for profit.
For instance, Pediatrician, Dr Lawrence Diller, author of the book, "Should I Medicate My Child," testified before an FDA advisory committee in September 2004, on the rampant off-label prescribing of SSRI drugs to children after learning about 8 previously undisclosed studies that proved the drug makers knew all the long that SSRIs were linked to suicide in children but kept the findings hidden from doctors who were prescribing the drugs.
Dr Diller said the "final blow" was learning of these 8 studies and that the loss of credibility within the medical profession extended beyond psychiatry into all of medicine and ended his testimony by stating:
"The blame is clear: The money, power and influence of the pharmaceutical industry corrupt all. The pervasive control that the drug companies have over medial research, publications, professional organizations, doctors' practices, Congress, and yes, even agencies like the FDA, is the American equivalent of a drug cartel."
Information for injured parties can be found at Lawyers and Settlements.com
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/big_pharma_bankrupt.html
Evelyn Pringle
evelyn.pringle@sbcglobal.net
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
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