UPDATE: On Sept. 30, 2020 The Superior Court of Québec extended the opt-out deadline to November 19, 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Justice of Québec and the Minister of Justice also lifted the civil procedure time limits for the Abilify class action lawsuit.
A Quebec court has authorized a proposed Class in an Abilify class action lawsuit alleging those who took the antipsychotic medication suffered from compulsions to shop, gamble, overeat, and even have sex.
Lead plaintiff S. Scheer lodged the complaint against Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical, and Lundbeck Canada seeking to represent Canadians who took Abilify before Feb. 23, 2017.
On Jan. 6, 2020, the representative for the plaintiff announced that the proposed Class had been certified by the Honourable Justice Pierre-C. Gagnon. To remain in the Class, you don’t have to do anything further. Canadians who would like to opt out of the Abilify class action must do so by May 31, 2020.
The Abilify class action lawsuit alleges that the medication carries a risk of causing irresistible compulsions to eat, gamble, and shop, but the drug makers failed to adequately warn patients.
According to the Abilify class action lawsuit, the drug makers “developed, designed, manufactured, tested, marketed, labelled, packaged, promoted, advertised, imported, distributed, and/or sold the ABILIFY Products as safe and/or effective despite a wealth of existing knowledge that the drugs had dangerous side effects including uncontrollable impulses, such as pathological gambling, binge eating, uncontrollable spending or shopping and hypersexual behavior.”
Abilify is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, notes the complaint. It comes in several different dosages, available in both pill and liquid form. The drug works by binding to receptors in the brain, making it different from drugs in the same family known as atypical antipsychotics.
“Like other atypical antipsychotics, the ABILIFY Products bind to several different neurotransmitter receptors, but unlike others in its class, it doesn’t block dopamine (specifically, dopamine D2) or serotonin (specifically, 5-HT1A) receptors,” states the Abilify class action lawsuit.
“Instead, it’s a partial agonist at those receptors – it can activate those receptors, but not to the full biological effect. In lay terms, it can both enhance dopamine and serotonin signaling where those transmitters are deficient, and inhibit signaling where they are in excess.”
Dopamine has a role in compulsive and addictive behavior, contends the plaintiff, and that role is well known. Additionally, the drug makers allegedly knew of reports of serious pathological gambling linked to patients who took Abilify while the drug was still being tested. Despite these reports, the companies pushed for approval of Abilify in 2009.
Further cases of compulsive, addictive behaviors linked to the drug were reported in subsequent years, alleges the Abilify class action lawsuit. Patients reported an irresistible urge to gamble and overeat and some reported incidents of hypersexuality. These urges, says the plaintiff, dissipated after the patients were switched to a different medication.
Even in the face of these reports, as well as limits placed on the use of Abilify by the European Union, Bristol-Meyers and Otsuka marketed the drug to Canadians, alleges the complaint.
“Despite the risks of serious adverse events, and the lack of adequate testing, that Respondents aggressively promoted ABILIFY, including illegal promotion for off-label use,” states the class action lawsuit.
In 2017, the makers of Abilify reached a $19.5 million settlement with 43 U.S. attorneys generals who brought similar claims. The funds were distributed to those who took the antipsychotic medication in the U.S.
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Did you take Abilify and suffer from compulsions to overeat, gamble, shop, or have sex? Tell us your story in the comments below.
The plaintiff is represented by Consumer Law Group.
The Abilify Class Action Lawsuit is S. Scheer v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., et al., Case No. 500-06-000831-160, in the Superior Court of Québec, District of Montreal, Canada.
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43 thoughts onAbilify Class Action Certified By Canadian Court
I started taking abilify in 2015 and soon after I started taking it I found myself attracted to slot machines. A feeling I’d never had felt. I honestly couldn’t understand a gambeling addiction I mean alcoholism you buy a bottle your gaurenteed to get drunk but putting money in a slot machine there’s no guarantee of winning.
Yet there i found myself jamming bill after bill into these stupid machines I spent a lot like all of my pay checks I even played with my rent and food money resulting in bouts of homelessness sure I won here and there but not enough to break even.
The definition of insnity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. It was me I had become insane deep in the back of my mind I knew it was not going to end well and I shouldn’t be at the bar staring at the reels but the focal point of my mind seemed to be screaming and luring me telling myself all types of crazy things ” I’ll win it back” “I’ll just play with $100 then I’ll leave” the times I was up I’d think ,” I’ll stop before I lose it all” only to moments latter be staring in disbelief at the balance of zero when it had been in the hundreds the last time I looked. The guilt shame remorse and self loathing came quickly as I skulcked out of the bar tail between my legs dreading going home and admitting to my dear girlfriend that I once again had screwed up. Debating if it’d be better to just end it all and contemplating how I would take my own life. Year after year feeling pathetic worthless and facing utter defeat I never thought abilify had anything to do with this situation after all I was perscribed it to fend off the depression and level out my mania to help me live a more stable and controlled life. Here it was tearing my life to shreds the gambeling wasn’t the only thing I would spend money on stupid things buying people whatever whenever. Ordering take out food then getting other take out food many times I would order a pizza then Indian food then going to 711 and loading up on junk food anytime that the bar closed and I had money left over I would compulsively order and eat food.my weight fluctuating between 180 and 220 many times I’d almost be starving from the losses at the vlts having no food and resorting to living on what I could get from the food bank.
When I learned of abilifys roll in my life’s turmoil I stopped taking it thinking things will be better then the withdrawl hit…they say religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell and spirituality is for those who have already been there well after getting off abilify I’m extremly spiritual.
Drugs like these should be banned they are horrible and the lies told to people that have been perscribed them are disgusting. The makers of them are heathens only caring about their bank roll and lining their pockets. Thanks to my experience with abilify I’ll be hesitant about taking other perscriptions