Big Pharma Paid $500,000 to Chicago Psychiatrists Who Used Children as Guinea Pigs

A federal lawsuit has been filed against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for its role in paying Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein nearly $500,000 over the course of a decade to conduct research and to promote its anti-psychotic drug, Seroquel. Reinstein is being accused of wrongfully preying on thousands of mentally-ill patients in order to rake in profits for AstraZeneca.'

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Astra Zeneca Paid $500,000 to Psychiatrist Who Used Chicago's Poor as Guinea Pigs

Putting aside its concerns, AstraZeneca would continue its relationship with Reinstein, paying him $490,000 over a decade to travel the nation promoting its best-selling antipsychotic drug, Seroquel. In return, Reinstein provided the company a vast customer base: thousands of indigent, mentally ill residents in Chicago-area nursing homes.

During this period, Reinstein also faced accusations that he overmedicated and neglected patients who took a variety of drugs. But his research and promotional work went on, including studies and presentations examining many of the antipsychotics he prescribed on his daily rounds.'

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AstraZeneca Told Sales Reps to Lie About Seroquel-Diabetes Link

Drug giant AstraZeneca instructed its sales representatives to tell doctors that there was no link between its antipsychotic drug Seroquel and an increased risk of diabetes, even though studies conducted by the company had already shown otherwise, according to documents uncovered as part of a lawsuit.

AstraZeneca is the target of more than 9,000 lawsuits alleging that the company concealed information about the diabetes risks posed by Seroquel and that it illegally marketed the drug for "off label" uses not approved by the FDA.

Seroquel is approved only for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but is also prescribed off-label to treat anxiety and insomnia.

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AstraZeneca 'Pushed Drug For Untested Uses'

AstraZeneca launched a public relations push to get doctors to prescribe its best-selling psychiatric drug Seroquel for a string of uses that were not approved by safety regulators, according to a damning internal document released yesterday.

The UK's second biggest drug maker is being sued by 16,000 patients in the US for "spinning, skewing and concealing" information on the drug's potential side-effects, including diabetes and weight gain, and lawyers unearthed emails and strategy documents showing what they say are repeated violations of the law.

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