[THS] Pill caused gambling addiction

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/pill-caused-gambling-addiction-20100603-x7dd.html


Pill 'caused gambling addiction'


KATE HAGAN

June 4, 2010

MORE than 100 people who allegedly became addicted to gambling and
pornography after taking a prescription drug used to treat tremors associated with
Parkinson's disease are suing two drug companies.

The case will take the form of a class action in the Federal Court.

The group includes people who sustained losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars
and were involved in family breakdowns as a result of compulsive gambling allegedly
linked to drugs they took between 1997 and last year.

Most of the claimants developed gambling addictions but a few exhibited compulsive
sexual behaviour such as looking at pornography on the internet.

They are suing Pfizer Australia, over its drug Cabaser and Aspen Pharmacare, which
marketed and distributed the drug Permax in Australia.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that causes a deficiency of
dopamine, a chemical neurotransmitter required for smooth, controlled movements.

Cabaser and Permax are in a class of drugs known as ''dopamine agonists'' which
mimic the effects of dopamine in the brain. The chemical is also known to produce a
''rush'', and scientists believe it can cause risk-taking behaviour and addictions.

A study published in the Archives of Neurology last month found that dopamine
agonist treatment for Parkinson's disease was associated with a rise in impulse control
disorders such as pathological gambling, compulsive shopping and binge eating. In a
test case in July 2008, a jury in Minnesota awarded $US8.2 million to a man who
became a compulsive gambler after using Mirapex (made by Boehringer Ingelheim)
to treat his Parkinson's disease. Other lawsuits are being considered in Canada,
Britain and France.

The Australian class action is being run by the law firm Arnold Thomas & Becker,
which says in its writ filed with the Federal Court that Pfizer Australia and Aspen
Pharmacare Australia had breached a duty of care by failing to research possible side
effects of their drugs, or by failing to heed research into side effects.

The writ claims the companies engaged in misleading conduct by neglecting to
provide adequate warnings of increased risk of compulsive disorders.

A directions hearing will be held today. The drug companies have not yet been
served with the writ, so have not filed a response.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pill-caused-gambling-addiction-20100603-
x7dd.html