Neurontin Lawsuits

Attorney generals from 47 states are investigating if Neurontin maker Pfizer Corp. illegally marketed the epilepsy drug. When Neurontin was first FDA approved, the drug was intended as an add-on epilepsy treatment, however off label use became a regular, widespread practice. Soon, Neurontin became a blockbuster hit, selling over $1.3 billion per year. The high sales were greatly controversial because the majority of sales were estimated to have come from off-label use.

For years, the use of Neurontin has been a source for dispute. A March 2002 New York Times article printed that Pfizer was illegally promoting Neurontin for at least 11 off-label uses. Then in May 2002, Public Citizen consumer group posted an article on Neurontin. The article entitled "The Illegal Corporate Creation of a Blockbuster Drug" discussed how Pfizer was able to use a loophole to expand the uses of Neurontin.

Without the off label use, the consumer group says that the small corner of the market that Neurontin was approved for would have never allowed the drug to become such a financial success for the drug company. Public Citizen continues to oppose Neurontin's present state on the market, calling it "the most complete and well document case of off-label promotion to ever come into public view." Pfizer is currently the target of Neurontin related lawsuits.

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