Arkansas sues drug maker

The corporate drug kingpins are facing another much-deserved lawsuit!

In the U.S. and A., 11 states have sued Eli Lilly over Zyprexa: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia. Five have sued Janssen over Risperdal: Arkansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. Three have sued AstraZeneca over Seroquel: Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Arkansas has just joined the Seroquel suit, charging that London-based AstraZeneca illegally encouraged doctors to prescribe the risky antipsychotic to children and the elderly for uses that it was not approved for. The reported unapproved use of the drug is said to have hurt patients and cost the state millions of dollars.

The state says AstraZeneca misled doctors, and that the company knew the drug was dangerous.

Arkansas's lawsuit also says the drug firm marketed the antipsychotic for conditions such as ADHD and sleeplessness, even though it wasn't approved for these things. The suit says AstraZeneca didn't properly warn patients the drug could cause diabetes, stroke, pancreatitis, and other side effects. The FDA had already twice reprimanded the drug company for giving misleading information about Seroquel.

This isn't the first time I've posted about drug makers improperly marketing their insufferable wares, and the fact that so many states are suing shows what a national scandal this is.

(Source: http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/may/21/state-suit-targets-astrazeneca-over-antip-20080521)