Prescription Drug Addiction Blog

The AP reported this week that giant drug manufacturer AstraZeneca settled a Federal lawsuit for fraud based on illegal promotion of its damagin drug Seroquel. Not only has this drug (and others in the anti-psychotic category) been linked to causing diabetes and creating a manic state in patients, but the drug pusher happily agreed to pay more than half a billion in fines for illegal off-label prototion. Why did they settle? Well, for one reason, they are guilty of fraud. The other reason is that this drug alone was their second-best seller thanks to those illegal practices and they grossed nearly five billion dollars off it in 2009 alone.

Here is yet another example of the outright corruption and death caused by drug companies that our FDA is allowing to occur. These people should have criminal suits filed against them and their executives put in prison. If all they have to do is pay about 10% of gross sales to hold off the government, why would anyone think these practices will stop?

Prescription drugs are arguably the biggest problem in America's healthcare system today. They cause more problems and deaths and increase costs - all to line their own pockets. It's criminal mischief times millions of patients, and this is only one company with only one drug. Multiply that by at least 5 more major companies and dozens of drugs. The result is easily tens of billioins of dollars in profits each year from illegal practices that claim lives, and that doesn't even include the people who wind up becoming dependent on the drugs and need an addiction treatment center.

An article appearing in Reuters this week spoke about the 5.1 percent increase in U.S. prescription drug sales last year vs. the 1.8 percent increase in 2008, and that antipsychotic drugs were the top money makers.

This story appeared the same week as a mention in the New York Times regardin the disclosure that Pfizer paid out $20 million to 4,500 doctors and other medical professionals for consulting and speaking on its behalf in the last six months of 2009. The article also states that Pfizer paid an additional $15.3 million to 250 academic medical centers and other research groups for clinical trials in the same period. The disclosure was one of the results of agreement to settle investigations into Pfizer's illegal promotion of off-label uses for drugs.

Remember, this is only from ONE company. Most of them use these tactics to gain favor and push sales. Coupled with the $26 million spent on pharmaceutical lobying efforts last year and the copious amounts of direct-to-consumer advertising, and it's no wonder that sales hit an all-time high. As long as these companies are able to buy their way out of jail, these practices will also continue.

Drug rehab centers are filled with people addicted to prescription drugs today, and prescription-related deaths are reaching all-time highs in multiple states throughout the country, yet the FDA continues to be held unaccountable the the drug cartels that sell their wares in bottles with labeels keep getting away with it.

If you know someone who needs help overcoming a dependency on prescription drugs, call 1-877-372-5719 today.