Exerpt from 10/2008 FibromyalgiaTreament.com's newsletter:

According to lawyers, the drug company Pfizer suppressed studies that didn't support their campaign to boost sales of Neurontin. (Pfizer has already paid a $430 million fine for illegal promotion-- that is, touting it for unapproved conditions.)

Documents filed in federal court in Boson this month (10/08) allege that by delaying the publication of studies or by altering them, Pfizer boosted sales of Neurontin. These studies had found no evidence that the drug was an effective treatment for any of the various off label conditions.

Meanwhile, these sales surged from 15% in 1994 to 94% in 2002. (In 2002, when drug representatives were advising doctors to prescribe it for pain, sales were $2.3 billion.) Lawyers claim that about 43 million off label prescriptions were written as a result of illegal marketing promotions.

In April, a U.S. District Judge opened the door to a class-action lawsuit brought by insurance companies against Pfizer for these Neurontin uses that had not been approved by the FDA. Plaintiffs seek reimbursement for insurance funds spent on these prescriptions. Plan subscribers can seek a refund on their co-payments. Pfizer contends the lawsuits aren't class-action worthy and should be tried as individual cases.

This case is the latest in a series of allegations brought against the pharmaceutical industry suggesting it has controlled clinical trial results in an effort to boost drug sales.

Note: Patients are now being enrolled in a phase two trial of a new use for Neurontin. The manufacturer hopes it will be approved for use in the treatment of menopausal hot flashes.




Hmm... I'm smelling blood in the water with all these FMS medications coming out. Let's hope the lawsuits continue and it forces the pharmaceutical companies to actually oh.. I don't know.. DO RESEARCH before they put a drug out there on the shelves!

It doesn't work for X so maybe it'll work for Y? What the hell kind of science is this???

What I take away from this article is that since Pfizer got their fingers slapped with a fine (of a laughable $$ amount when you look at their total business worth) and as an afterthought told their lawyers to let the people know that filing a class-action suit wouldn't be worth their time.

These people would be downright stupid for NOT filing a class action. I mean, come on! By Pfizer being fined that's a guilty verdict right there. Of course it'd be worth their time. It just wouldn't be worth Pfizer's legal staff's time to fight it. Because they'd lose more money out of their coffers and their precious drug.

So now they're desperate to keep the drug on the market any way they can. Even if it means that they're now putting menopausal women in their scopes. God help them.

And yes, one of my docs (An FMS specialist no less) gave me an Rx for Neurontin to help with 'neuropathic pain.' It made my pain worse and gave me uncontrollable muscle spasms.

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