A Texas man recently filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the drug Abilify, alleging that the drug caused compulsive behavior.

This February, plaintiff Emerson R. filed a suit against Abilify manufacturers and distributors as part of a multi-district litigation, raising allegations of Abilify linked to compulsive behavior. Defendants Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and Otsuka American Pharmaceutical Inc. face allegations of liability, negligence, and concealment.

Abilify is an anti-psychotic medication commonly prescribed for depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Abilify is recommended as an “add-on” medication for adults with depression when an antidepressant alone is not enough, according to the Abilify website. It is also marketed for treating manic episodes for bipolar and general schizophrenia symptoms. Abilify was first introduced in the U.S. in 2002.

Emerson says he used Abilify from 2010 to 2013. As a result, he claims, he suffered monetary losses more than $250,000 as a result of compulsive behavior allegedly caused by Abilify. Emerson also claims loss of financial stability and other losses as outcomes of taking Abilify.

Plaintiffs, Researchers Say Abilify Linked to Compulsive Behavior

Emerson’s suit follows numerous other legal complaints claiming Abilify is linked to compulsive behavior. Compulsive behavior is defined in the suit as “intense gambling urges, compulsive sexual urges, compulsive shopping, binge or compulsive eating, or other urges.”

Abilify works by activating dopamine receptors in the brain. Often referred to as the “happiness chemical,” dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that controls the brain reward and pleasure centers.

“Scientific literature has identified dopamine as a potential cause of pathological gambling for years,” states the lawsuit. The suit cites a series of scientific case studies that allegedly show Abilify linked to compulsive behavior based on dopamine reactions.

The lawsuit alleges that compulsive behavior was not included in Abilify warning labels prior to 2016. In 2012, the European Medicines Agency allegedly required Abilify manufacturers to include a warning for pathological gambling in their warning section. In 2015, Canadian regulators allegedly found Abilify linked to compulsive behaviors and required a warning for such risks to be included.

“Despite these warnings and advisories in Europe and Canada—for the same drug sold to patients in the United States—the labeling for Abilify in the United States did not adequately warn about the risk of compulsive gambling and contained no mention that pathological gambling had been reported in patients prescribed Abilify.” In 2016, Abilify allegedly added pathological gambling to the post-market experience section of the label.

“Defendants have either failed to investigate or conduct any studies on the compulsive behavior side effects of Abilify or failed to make public the results of any studies or investigations that they might have done,” the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit also claims that Abilify manufacturers made no attempt to warn doctors and consumers of compulsive behavior risks before 2016.

Emerson accuses Abilify manufacturers of liability, breach of warranty, negligence, violation of consumer protection laws, fraudulent concealment, and punitive damages. Emerson seeks financial, mental, and emotional damages, cost of treatment, litigation costs, and attorney’s fees as part of the multi-district litigation.

The Abilify Compulsive Behavior Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00216-MCR-GRJ and is part of the Abilify MDL, In re: Abilify (Aripiprazole) Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 3:16-md-2734, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.