A woman and husband have joined a growing Abilify MDL, or multidistrict litigation, by filing a lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturers. They allege Abilify caused compulsive disorders leading to physical injury and monetary harm that the couple was never warned about.

Plaintiffs Gail K. and Jerry A., residents of Arizona, filed the lawsuit in Florida federal court, where an Abilify MDL is currently handling many similar claims.

According to the lawsuit, Gail says that she took Abilify from June 2011 until September 2014. Soon after taking the medication she says that she began experiencing severe compulsive disorders that led to monetary losses of more than $75,000.

She also alleges that because of the side effects of the medication she suffered loss of financial stability, including physical and mental harm such as emotional distress and neuropsychiatric injury.

The Abilify lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including strict liability, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligence, negligence per se, negligent misrepresentation, violation of consumer protection laws, fraudulent concealment, loss of consortium, and punitive damages.

Overview: Abilify MDL

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Abilify is prescribed to treat disorders ranging from bipolar I disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, irritability associated with autistic disorder, and Tourette’s disorder.

Gail’s claim is filed as part of a large Abilify MDL centered on allegations that this psychiatric medication causes serious compulsive behaviors such as compulsive gambling, binge eating, and compulsive urges to have sex and shop.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Co. are the named defendants in these lawsuits. Accusations against the companies allege they knew the adverse effects associated with Abilify and its tendency to cause compulsive behavior, yet failed to notify consumers of this risk.

As a result, many consumers have filed Abilify lawsuits seeking relief for monetary and financial losses, in addition to other injuries.

The FDA says that in addition to side effects of compulsive behavior, side effects of Abilify in adults may include: nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, blurred vision, anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, and restlessness.

Despite medical studies linking Abilify to compulsive gambling side effects since 2010, plaintiffs claim Abilify’s warning label made no mention of this potential development. While studies do not claim a “definitive” link between the two, because of “reasonable evidence of a causal association” with the drug, the FDA mandated the drug company to report these warnings.

Unfortunately, a few years prior to the FDA mandating the report of compulsive gambling side effects to the drug’s warning label, regulators in both Canada and Europe had done so years earlier.

According to Health Canada, “current review concludes that there is a link between the use of aripiprazole and a possible risk of pathological gambling or hypersexuality.” They reported that “[a]fter the totality of evidence was considered, and because of the extensive use of Abilify, Health Canada has updated the Canadian prescribing information for Abilify …”

The couple’s Abilify Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00263-RV-CJK, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division. The Abilify MDL is In re: Abilify (Aripiprazole) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3:16-md-2734, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.