From CBC News:
A lawsuit over the anti-seizure drug Neurontin began in the United States on Monday, with patients, insurance companies and unions accusing the drug manufacturer of aggressively marketing it as pain medication, an unapproved use.
Neurontin, also known by its generic name gabapentin, is approved for use in Canada and the United States to help control epileptic seizures.
Doctors in both countries prescribe gabapentin to control pain. Canadian doctors wrote two million prescriptions for the drug or its generic versions in 2009.
In 2004, Pfizer subsidiary Warner-Lambert settled a lawsuit filed by federal and state drug programs over the marketing of gabapentin, admitting it fraudulently promoted the drug. Pfizer paid $430 million US in penalties and fines, including $152 million to reimburse the drug programs, which had covered the drugs. ...more
Links to the latest news in the world of pharmacy with a focus on items most relevant to Canadian pharmacists or others that are interested in Canadian pharmacies. This includes news about Canadian pharmacy seen in the mainstream media on topics such as new drug information and the international pharmacy industry.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Anti-seizure drug promotion faces legal fire
I can't recall ever seeing Neurontin being used for a seizure disorder. It's one of the few drugs I can think of that is almost exclusively used off-label.
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