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Abilify Lawsuit

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A number of Abilify lawsuits have been filed in U.S. courts on behalf of patient who allegedly developed gambling addictions due to their use of the antipsychotic medication. Plaintiffs claim that they could have avoided the devastating consequences associated with compulsive gambling had the manufacturers of Abilify provided doctors and patients with appropriate warnings regarding this potential risk.

Abilify Legal Reviews

The nationwide law firm of Bernstein Liebhard LLP is now offering free legal reviews to individuals who may have developed a compulsive gambling problem after initiating treatment with Abilify. To learn more about filing an Abilify lawsuit, please contact our legal team today by calling (888) 994-5118.

FDA ALERT: Abilify Label Update

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has tied  aripiprazole, the active ingredient in Abilify, to nearly 200 reports of  compulsive gambling and other impulsive behaviors, including binge eating, compulsive shopping, and sexual action.  Stronger warnings have been added to the Abilify label regarding these potential issues. Read More

Abilify Litigation Update

• Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed to a $19.5 million Abilify settlement  which resolves  allegations that it improperly marketed the antipsychotic drug for use in elderly dementia patients. The agreement with 41 states and the District of Columbia also resolves claims that the company marketed Abilify for off-label use in children. Bristol-Myers Squibb denies any wrongdoing. Abilify is manufactured by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., and has not been marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb since 2013. Read More
• An  Initial Conference was convened in the federal Abilify litigation on November 7th. An Order filed by the Court on October 19^th indicated that a number of issues were to be addressed during the proceeding, including the litigation’s organizational structure and the status of Abilify cases pending in both state and federal courts. Read More
• On October 3, 2016, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) centralized all federally-filed Abilify gambling lawsuits in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. There are currently 42 such claims are  pending in federal courts around the country. “These common factual issues are sufficiently complex to merit centralized treatment. Centralization will eliminate duplicative discovery; prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings; and conserve the resources of the parties, the counsel and the judiciary,” the Panel stated in it Transfer Order. Read More
• The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) will hear Oral Arguments on a motion to centralize all federally-filed Abilify lawsuits involving gambling addiction and other compulsive behaviors in a single U.S. District Court during its next Hearing Session. That session will be convened September 29, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Read More
• In July 2016, Abilify lawsuit plaintiffs and defendants asked the JPM to centralize all  personal injury claims involving the drug’s  alleged association with gambling addiction and other compulsive behaviors in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida. There are currently 26 such cases pending in federal courts around the U.S., and more filings are expected. Read More
• An Abilify lawsuit was filed in New Jersey’s Bergen County Superior Court on January 20, 2016, by a patient who claims to have developed a compulsive gambling habit shortly after he began using Abilify in 2010. His gambling allegedly ceased once he ended treatment in August 2013. According to Courthouse News Service, two similar lawsuits were filed over Abilify and compulsive gambling in Tampa federal Court on January 13^th.
• An Abilify compulsive gambling case filed on January 12, 2016, alleges that the medication caused a patient and her husband to incur substantial damages, resulting in loss of financial stability, as well as other mental, physical and economic damages. Read More

Abilify Compulsive Behavior Warnings & Reports

• 2012: The European Medicines Agency required that the Abilify label list pathological gambling as a possible side effect.
• 2015: Canadian drug safety officials warned that Abilify may cause users to suffer impulse control problems, including problems with uncontrollable gambling, hypersexuality and other risky behaviors. A review conducted by Health Canada identified at least 18 cases internationally where Abilify users began to exhibit compulsive gambling behavior. In 14 cases, the gambling issues ceased after treatment with Abilify ended.
• The January 2016 QuarterWatch Report issued by the ISMP noted 147 reports to the FDA’s Adverse Event Database  involving pathological gambling potentially associated with the use of Abilify. Read More

Abilify Gambling Studies

• February 2011: Three patients reportedly developed compulsive gambling habits soon after they initiated treatment with Abilify.
• April 2011: Three more cases of pathological gambling in Abilify patients were detailed in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
• March 2014: The medical journal Addictive Behavior published a paper that linked eight cases of compulsive gambling to Abilify.
• October 2014: JAMA Internal Medicine reported on 37 cases of gambling addiction in Abilify patients.

How Can Filing an Abilify Lawsuit Help?

Drug makers have a responsibility to warn patients and doctors about the serious side effects associated with the use of their medications. While both the European and Canadian Abilify labels list compulsive behaviors, including pathological gambling, as a possible risk, no such mention is included in the U.S. labeling.

Patients who developed a gambling addiction while using Abilify may be entitled to compensation for the financial and emotional damages associated with this compulsive behavior, including:

• Debt Incurred as a Result of Gambling
• Lost Savings
• Divorce
• Unemployment/Job Loss
• Damage to Reputation
• Severe Emotional Distress

Learn More about Filing an Abilify Lawsuit

If you would like to learn more about filing an Abilify lawsuit for compulsive gambling, the legal staff at Bernstein Liebhard LLP is ready to help. Please contact our office today by calling (888) 994-5118.