Neurontin Lawsuits
Neurontin also known as gabapentin, is a drug manufactured by Pfizer, Inc. and has been prescribed to treat partial seizures or epilepsy in adults and children. It has also has been used to relieve nerve pain caused by the herpes virus.
In March 2010, a jury found that Pfizer had violated United States racketeering law in the way it marketed Neurontin. Pfizer was alleged to have been marketing Neurontin for uses not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The jury in that case decided that Pfizer should pay $142.1 million in damages.
Some patients who have used Neurontin were found to have an elevated risk of suicidal tendencies. In addition, the Neurontin drug and its use is being investigated by 47 different attorney generals around the country for allegedly being illegally marketed and sold for off-label uses. Neurontin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994 as an add-on treatment for controlling partial seizures associated with epilepsy.
Sales for the Neurontin drug have exceeded $2.7 billion. Neurontin has been associated with some severe medical side-effects.
If you or someone you know has been prescribed Neurontin for off-label uses, you may be entitled to compensation. If you have been taking Neurontin for the purposes for which it was approved by the FDA, you may still be suffering side effects that may be linked to your regular use of the drug. If so, you could potentially have a claim for compensation. Neurontin, although approved for sale in the 1990s as a treatment for epileptic seizures, it is believed that about 80% of all Neurontin prescriptions have been written for conditions other than what the drug was approved to treat.
These other conditions are called off-label prescriptions which are illegal. Although it may not be illegal for a doctor to prescribe medication for other uses of the drug, it is illegal for a drug company to market a medication for off-label uses.
Some of the off-label conditions that Neurontin marketed to treat were:
- Bipolar disorder
- Pain syndromes
- Treatment of epilepsy alone
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
- Drug and alcohol withdrawal
- Seizures
- Migraine, headaches
- Paranoia
- Memory loss
- Hostility
- Depression
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
If you or a loved one took Neurontin and suffered side effects, please call us for an immediate free consultation. Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Chicago and Illinois prescription drug defect cases for more than 40 years.
With our years of experience in trying and settling prescription drug defect cases, Kreisman Law Offices provides the best possible services to our clients and have achieved unsurpassed results. Our service is unmatched. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online. There is no charge for a consultation that will include an evaluation of your case, assessment of your damages such as lost income, lost wages, medical and hospital bills, past and future pain and suffering, loss of normal life and wrongful death.