A settlement has reached with the Department of Justice over AstraZeneca Seroquel investigation and British pharmaceutical company. An anti psychotic medication, Seroquel, has come under fire for being marketed for unapproved purposes. The drug maker will be paying the Department of Justice $ 520 million in restitution. The drug itself, which sold about $ 4.9 billion last year, probably won’t need guaranteed loans to cover the expenses.
Wrong purposes is what AstraZeneca Seroquel was marketed for
The fight about AstraZeneca Seroquel was based off of the fact that the drug was marketed for purposes other than what it was approved for. The DOJ suggests there were kickbacks of payday cash for prescribing the drug for off label purposes. The drug Seroquel is quetiapine, which is used to treat schizophrenia and certain bi-polar disorders. Physicians may prescribe a medication for an off-label use if they deem it appropriate. However, pharmaceutical drugs aren’t to be marketed for off label uses; the FDA considers that a no-no.
Off label uses of Seroquel
Part of this investigation is whether AstraZeneca Seroquel was marketed for uses that aren’t approved for it yet. According to the Wall Street Journal , AstraZeneca marketed the drug for off label uses, such as to treat post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, Alzheimer’s Disease, aggression, and depression. The Justice Department thinks pharmaceutical giant gave kickbacks to physicians to prescribe it for those purposes. AstraZeneca denies the allegations even though they set aside $ 520 million in October for a settlement.
Lawsuits that are pending
There are many lawsuits pending against AstraZeneca concerning different side effects of off label use of Seroquel. Seroquel isn’t the first drug to try off label purposes; off label medication is actually wide spread because every drug has alternate uses. For example, although most people use aspirin to thin blood or as a pain reliever, it also can be used to treat heart disease. It is usually fine that many physicians prescribe medication for off label uses. However, the idea that a physician would prescribe drug for their own money purposes when something else is available, is really troubling.
What the impact is then?
Since AstraZeneca Seroquel set aside money for a settlement months ago, nothing will probably come of it. The company probably will comply with federal instructions and will disclose payments to physicians.
Resources for the article
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100427-717519.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLEHeadlinesEurope