Current Lawsuits and Investigations

Doctors paid to prescribe Abilify to children

Bristol Myers Squibb Company and its subsidiary, Apothecon, have agreed to pay more than $515 million to settle a broad array of federal and state civil allegations involving their drug marketing and pricing practices. There are allegations that from 2000 to mid 2003, Bristol Myers Squibb paid illegal compensation to physicians and other healthcare providers to get them to promote the company's drugs. The allegations are that the payments to physcians and other healthcare providers were in the form of consulting fees and other programs, some of which involved travel to luxurious resorts.

Allegedly, from 2002 through 2005, Bristol Myers Squibb also promoted the sale and use of Abilify, an antipsychotic drug, for pediatric use and to treat dementia related psychosis, both of which were "off label" uses. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug to treat adult psychiatric disorders but not for use in children, teenagers, or for dementia related illnesses. Doctors are allowed to prescribe drugs "off label," but companies are not allowed to promote drugs for those uses.

In a statement posted on its website, the company said "Bristol Myers Squibb is pleased to have resolved these matters from the past and is proud of its commitment to conduct business with the highest standards of integrity in its mission to extend and enhance human life."

If your was child prescribed Abilify or a loved one with dementia was prescribed abilify in the last five years, please contact the law firm of McGowan, Hood and Felder. You may have legal rights.

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Your safety and health should not be sacrificed because someone decided they did not have to follow the rules or take adequate safety precautions. To schedule a free consultation and discuss the legal options available to you, contact the attorneys at McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC today either by email or by toll free phone at one of the numbers above.