A new Abilify lawsuit joins a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Bristol Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, filed by an Iowa man alleging multiple complications.

The man filed this Abilify lawsuit soon after discovering the pharmaceutical companies either knew or should have known about an alleged link to gambling and other compulsive behaviors.

Plaintiff James S. is filing this Abilify lawsuit seeking financial compensation for the damages he suffered, which were allegedly caused by unexpected compulsive behaviors he had suddenly developed.

James alleges this behavior was directly caused by Abilify’s treatment mechanism, which manipulates the dopamine levels in the brain to produce positive feelings of elation.

Compulsive Behavior Risks

Abilify is a popular antipsychotic medication that is typically prescribed when other treatment drugs do not work for the patient. It is often used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and even Tourette’s syndrome. Given the drug’s particular treatment mechanism, millions of patients and prescribing physicians opted for Abilify treatment.

James was one of these patients and began his Abilify prescription in 2004. He says he used the medication according to prescription instructions and physician advice. Even with this diligence, James still developed unexpected compulsive habits like gambling and excessive spending.

By the time James’ Abilify prescription ended in 2012, he claims, he had sustained major financial losses. He has been forced to contend with those losses since.

James opted to file his Abilify lawsuit against Otsuka and Bristol Myers, after discovering the drug companies were aware of several studies indicating this possibility.

Overview of Abilify

Abilify was approved by the FDA in 2002 and quickly became a major financial success for Bristol Myers and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. However, the drug soon garnered public scrutiny for its link to pathological gambling and other compulsive behaviors.

Post marketing reports and scientific studies have found an increased risk of compulsive shopping, gambling, and hypersexuality in conjunction with Abilify prescriptions.

Canadian and European health officials have required Abilify’s warning label to include the potential risk of pathological gambling, which spurred the patient population and medical community to be suspicious of the correlation.

Due to Abilify’s treatment mechanism of manipulating dopamine levels, the patient’s inhibitions and sense of caution may be down, which can cause abnormal behavior in the patient. Dopamine is the brain chemical responsible for pleasure and reward sensations, which encourages patients to engage in activities like shopping or gambling to prolong the feelings of elation.

According to a recent study by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, researchers found that medications activating dopamine receptors can cause severe impulse control disorders in some patients. Even though Abilify was not a part of this study due to only being a partial dopamine receptor agonist, researchers still found the same safety problems with Abilify compulsive behavior problems in at least 37 injury reports.

James’ Abilify lawsuit is being filed in MDL No. 2734, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining an MDL, James’ Abilify lawsuit will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges and will be streamlined through the litigation process.

At all times relevant, James had followed all safety precautions provided by the pharmaceutical companies and had no reason to believe he was at risk for any serious side effects. James states he would not have agreed to take Abilify if he had known the risk of developing harmful compulsive behaviors.

This Abilify Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00236-MCR-GRJ, in the U.S. District Court of Northern Florida, Pensacola Division.