Off-Label Use of Neurontin May Be Dangerous

Kahn Gauthier Swick is investigating possible lawsuits against drug giant Pfizer, Inc., the manufacturer of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin), to recover for harm suffered by patients who have been prescribed Neurontin. Neurontin was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration on December 30, 1993, for the treatment of certain kinds of epilepsy.

Neurontin is available as a tablet, capsule and oral solution. Neurontin accounted for $2.3 billion of Pfizer's sales in 2002 and is one of company's top-selling drugs.

Neurontin Lawsuit

Neurontin is indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures with and without secondary generalization in patients over 12 years of age with epilepsy. Neurontin is also indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures in pediatric patients age 3-12 years.

Our full article about Neurontin contains information about this article and others like it, including more information about the Neurontin lawsuit.

Additional Resources on the Neurontin Lawsuit

Doctors' Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" on Neurontin
This information is provided by druginfonet.

Neurontin (GABAPENTIN)--The Illegal Corporate Creation of a Blockbuster Drug"
This is an in-depth report from Public Citizen.

"Court Papers Suggest Scale of Drug's Use"
This May 30, 2003, article from the New York Times describes how Neurontin's manufacturer "paid dozens of doctors tens of thousands of dollars each to speak to other physicians about how Neurontin, an epilepsy drug, could be prescribed for more than a dozen other medical uses that had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration."

"Whistle-Blower Says Marketers Broke the Rules To Push a Drug"
This March 14, 2002, story from the New York Times describes Dr. David Franklin's whistleblower lawsuit against Parke-Davis.

Neurontin in Bipolar Disorder
Jim Phelps, M.D., recounts that "after the first year of using the medication I found I had no patients who were still doing well on it alone."

Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
Brian D. Loftus, M.D., explains this condition, for which Neurontin is approved by the FDA.

Pfizer, Inc.
Pfizer discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets leading prescription medicines for humans and animals and many of the world's best-known consumer brands. The company has three business segments: health care, animal health and consumer health care. Pfizer products are sold in more than 150 countries.