Abilify Lawsuit
(Aripiprazole)
Problem summary
The makers of Abilify are defending themselves against a growing number of lawsuits filed by former users of the atypical antipsychotic drug Abilify who say the medication caused them to compulsively gamble, binge eat and engage in hypersexual behavior, among other uncontrollable urges. According to plaintiffs, the addictive behavior started soon after beginning Abilify treatment, and stopped completely when they discontinued use of the drug or reduced their dose, which suggests a strong correlation between the two.
One former Abilify user, a mother of two, claims that she lost possession of her house and custody of her children due to a gambling habit she says began after she was prescribed the antipsychotic drug for depression. In a 2016 warning about the potential for Abilify use to result in uncontrollable and excessive urges to eat, gamble, shop and have sex, the FDA warned that, “In the majority of cases, patients with no prior history of the compulsive behaviors experienced uncontrollable urges only after starting aripiprazole (Abilify) treatment.”
About Abilify
Abilify (aripiprazole) is a new-generation, blockbuster antipsychotic medication manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical and formerly marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The drug was approved by the FDA in 2002 as a treatment for schizophrenia and has since been additionally indicated for bipolar disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, autism and major depressive disorder. Abilify is designed to decrease hallucinations, mood swings, disorganized thinking and depressive thoughts by blocking receptors in the brain’s dopamine pathways, which are associated with an individual’s reward-motivated behaviors. It is this action of the drug on the brain’s dopamine levels that may cause Abilify users to experience new, compulsive behaviors when they begin taking the antipsychotic.
In 2016, 14 years after Abilify entered the market, the FDA issued its first warning regarding this issue, indicating that the agency had reviewed 184 adverse event reports linking Abilify to compulsive behaviors, such as gambling, shopping and eating. According to these adverse event reports, users were experiencing uncontrollable urges to perform an action and could not stop themselves from doing so, even if the action put them at risk for significant adverse personal, financial or social consequences. As a result of its findings, the FDA required a change to the Abilify drug label to reflect the risk of impulse-control problems.
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Abilify Side Effects
- Compulsive gambling
- Binge eating
- Hypersexual behavior
- Uncontrollable spending
- Compulsive behavior
- Impulse-control issues
- Suicidal thoughts in teens
- Addictive behavior
- Tardive dyskinesia
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
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Abilify Settlements & Litigation
Bristol-Meyers Squibb has a long history of settling Abilify claims, particularly those calling into question the company’s Abilify marketing practices. In December 2016, Bristol agreed to pay a nearly $20 million settlement to 42 states and the District of Columbia to resolve claims that the drug maker improperly marketed Abilify for off-label use among seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, among other inappropriate uses. This is despite the fact that Abilify carries a black box warning indicating that elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis who take such antipsychotic medications may face an increased risk of death. Before that, in 2007, Bristol paid $515 million to settle similar charges on the federal level, which accused the company of illegally promoting Abilify and other drugs to nursing homes, child psychiatrists and other pediatric specialists.
As of May 2018, more than 1,000 federal Abilify lawsuits consolidated in the Northern District of Florida as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) are pending, of which the first three cases scheduled for trial were settled for an undisclosed amount. All of the Abilify lawsuits involve similar allegations that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical manufactured and marketed a defective medication, failed to adequately test the drug’s effects on patients, and concealed information about the potential for Abilify treatment to cause compulsive and potentially harmful behavior. In some cases, former Abilify users suffered more than $50,000 in gambling losses as a result of taking the antipsychotic medication. Lawsuits filed over alleged Abilify side effects seek damages for past and future medical expenses for addiction treatment, lost wages, gambling losses, pain and suffering, and other economic losses associated with their compulsive behavior.
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