geodon injury attorneys
On Monday, April 11, 2004, the FDA released news that certain "off-label" use of Geodon and other anti-psychotics in elderly patients is associated with increased mortality. The drugs included in the warning are all "atypical" (second-generation) antipsychotic medications. In addition to Geodon, Zyprexa and Abilify are considered atypical antipsychotics.
All of the drugs are approved for treatment of schizophrenia, but the drugs have never been approved for treatment of behavioral disorders associated with dementia. The agency required that a boxed warning be placed on all atypical antipsychotics. The warning comes in the wake of a recent study that shows elderly patients treated for dementia with atypical antipsychotic had twice the mortality rate of those not on the drug.
Geodon History
The FDA approved Geodon in February of 2001 for the treatment of schizophrenia and added approval for the treatment of acute bipolar mania in 2004. Marketed by Pfizer, use of the drug is associated with hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, and even more serious heart and neurological conditions.
In August 2004, the FDA forced Pfizer to place warnings on Geodon for hyperglycemia and diabetes, but to this day Pfizer refuses to place a warning for the heart and neurological conditions. These conditions include torsade de points, a form of ventricular tachycardia, and Tardive Dyskinesia, a disease affecting the brain which causes involuntary movements. Since 2001, the FDA received multiple reports of heart beat abnormalities and unexplained deaths among Geodon users.
Despite these potentially deadly side effects, Pfizer continues to heavily market Geodon to doctors and patients. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes, hyperglycemia, torsade de pointes, or Tardive Dyskinesia while on Geodon, please contact a pharmaceutical attorney as soon as possible .
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