(PRWEB) June 11, 2012
The Consumer Justice Foundation, a for-profit corporation whose staff is comprised of a team of professional consumer advocates, dedicates its time to providing the public with free online informational resources regarding the potential dangers of using certain prescription medications. The CJF hereby alerts the public that the State of Missouri has announced that it will receive $ 15 million as part of the overall $ 1.5 billion settlement different levels of government have reached with Abbott Laboratories. This settlement was reached because Abbott allegedly engaged in illegal marketing practices with regards to its anticonvulsant medication Depakote.
While there was no civil lawsuit or charges filed against Abbott Laboratories and therefore no official court citation, the company had been engaged in settlement negotiations with Attorneys General from around the United States as well as with the federal Department of Justice before coming to an agreement that required Abbott Laboratories to pay a total of $ 1.5 billion in fines and civil settlements. A total of $ 700 million of that payment is to be divided between the states.
The issue that led to this settlement negotiation was the allegation that Abbott Laboratories was engaging in illegal marketing practices of Depakote that are known as ?off-label? marketing tactics. Specifically, off-label marketing tactics involve marketing a medication for purposes that have not been approved by the FDA. Abbott was accused of marketing Depakote for uses that included schizophrenia, agitated dementia and autism. This off-label marketing allegedly took place between the years of 1998 and 2008.
In addition, this Depakote settlement resolves allegations that Abbott Laboratories improperly marketed the medication in places such as nursing homes and that the company made illegal payments to health care professionals and long-term care pharmacy providers to induce them to promote and to prescribe Depakote despite the risks associated with Depakote side effects.
About the Consumer Justice Foundation
The Consumer Justice Foundation, whose Web site is located at http://www.consumerjusticefoundation.com, is a public resource that’s been built and maintained by a group of concerned professionals who want to provide general information for consumers regarding the potential dangers involved with the use of Depakote while pregnant. This resource is not to be considered as medical or legal advice, which should only be dispensed by a licensed medical doctor or a Depakote lawyer.
