AstraZeneca Paid $500,000 to Psychiatrist For Testing Seroquel on Patients

“Company documents publicized in federal court demonstrate that AstraZeneca Plc. knew about the risks associated with Seroquel as far back as 2000. Currently, AstraZenca Plc. facing more than 15,000 consumer claims alleging the antipsychotic drug Seroquel causes diabetes.
Source: Alliance For Human Research Protection

See also: A Silenced Drug Study Creates An Uproar (Washington Post)


seroquel-astrazeneca

(NaturalNews) A federal lawsuit has been filed against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for its role in paying Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein nearly $500,000 over the course of a decade to conduct research and to promote its anti-psychotic drug, Seroquel. Reinstein is being accused of wrongfully preying on thousands of mentally-ill patients in order to rake in profits for AstraZeneca.

Reinstein has a long history of working with AstraZeneca, receiving regular payments for speeches he would make across the country promoting the drug. AstraZeneca was also paying a for-profit research company, Uptown Research Institute, who in turn was paying Reinstein consulting fees for his services.

Cited in the lawsuit was the fact that Reinstein would continually prescribe roughly double the amount of drugs other psychiatrists would prescribe for the same conditions. When patients would report their pain and suffering due to the tremendous side effects of such drugs and their abnormally high dosages, Reinstein would largely ignore their concerns.

Other accusations include illegitimately prescribing Seroquel for various other conditions, including losing weight, despite the fact that studies show the drug actually causes weight gain. Reinstein was found to have made numerous false claims about Seroquel in promotional material, claims that would result in the destruction of people’s lives and health.

When all was said and done, more than 1,000 patients a year received Seroquel prescriptions from Reinstein at a cost of $7.6 million to taxpayers. It is unknown how many billions of dollars AstraZeneca has made from the widespread efforts of Reinstein in promoting the drug nationwide for all those years.

Despite all of his wrongdoings, Reinstein is not even a defendant in the case. AstraZeneca, the perpetrator which funded Reinstein, is the defendant in the lawsuit. While both Reinstein and AstraZeneca appear guilty of unethical and illegal behavior, AstraZeneca is rightfully bearing the brunt as it knowingly continued to fund Reinstein and rake in the profits of his misconduct.

The case brings up an important issue that plagues the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical money trail is never transparent, leading to questionable study results and improper marketing tactics. There is no accountability in the drug sector and this entire segment of the economy seems to be driven by deception and greed. Until people begin to demand restitution, the corruption will continue.

Sources for this story include

http://www.alternet.org/healthwelln…

Friday, December 18, 2009
by: E. Huff, staff writer

Source: Natural News

More on Big Pharma:

Roche studies based on scientific fraud: Tamiflu revealed as complete hoax

Health Care Statements In Congress Were Ghostwritten By Lobbyists Working For Genentech

Dr. Roby Mitchell Retracts H1N1 Vaccine Advice After Reading Insert!

3 Dutch babies die after pneumococcal vaccine, Dutch authorities pull Pfizer’s Prevenar batch

Dr. Diane Harper, Leading Gardasil and Cervarix HPV Vaccine Researcher, Drops A Bombshell

Swine flu vaccine supplier Baxter overcharged Medicaid, has to pay back millions

Dr. Gary Null Speaking Out at the NYS Assembly Hearing on Vaccinations, Fraud, Junk Science, Crimes Against Humanity and Profit

US Pharmaceutical Factories Dumping Huge Quantities of Drugs Into Public Sewers, Rivers and Waterways

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Shocking Vaccine Cover Up

Novartis microchip to help ensure patients take their medicine

Pfizer Agrees to a Record $2.3 Billion Criminal Fine in Fraud Probe

Study: More than one million American men received needless treatment for prostate cancer

Baxter Filed Swine Flu Vaccine Patent a Year Ahead of Outbreak

Big Pharma: Baxter, CSL Sued Over Accusations of Blood Monopoly

Study: ADHD Drugs Proven Absolutely Useless for Children

Baxter sent out 72 kilos of live bird flu material destined for vaccines confirmed by Austrian Health Minister Alois Stöger

Big Pharma: Eli Lilly Sold Drug for Dementia Knowing It Didn’t Help, Files Show

1300 Girls Harmed by HPV Vaccines in UK

Merck made a “hit list” of doctors who were critical of the company, or of the drug

A New Low in Drug Research: 21 Fabricated Studies

Concerns over safety of cervical cancer vaccine after 1,300 girls experience adverse side-effects

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.