Pharmaceutical heavyweight AstraZeneca did nothing illegal by paying Chicago-based psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein $490,000 (Tribune) over 10 years to promote its wildly successful antipsychotic drug Seroquel, but it certainly raises some ethical eyebrows. He not only promoted the wonder drug but also conducted research on thousands of mentally ill patients in nursing homes throughout the Chicago area.
But other physicians, along with some patients, started questioning his application of the drug and some of his claims. Other patients and employees at the nursing homes Dr. Reinstein frequented suspected he was not paying attention to their side effects.
He even told one patient, who sought treatment after suffering a nervous breakdown, that Seroquel would help her lose weight. South Side resident Chanile Hayes was 140 pounds at the time, but she more than doubled her weight after two years of taking the drug. Now she is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against AstraZeneca for allegedly concealing the drug's links to weight gain and even diabetes, with a similar suit filed in Orlando, Fla.
Dr. Reinstein is not named as a defendant in either medical malpractice case, even though his questionable dispensing of the drug is closely connected to the legal actions. His research, funded by AstraZeneca, suggests that some patients lose weight after taking Seroquel -- which is not the same as saying it should be used primarily as a weight-loss drug.
Other drug research not funded by the manufacturer points to the opposite conclusion, that the drug can cause "considerable" weight gain. Independent research also suggests that side effects can include spastic movement, seizures and even premature death among elderly patients.
So now that the company is on the receiving end of litigation, it's unclear whether it will protect the doctor or drop him as a liability. He's been described in company emails as a particularly valuable asset, so far.
- Failed/erroneous diagnosis and treatment, in general (FindLaw)
- Prescription drug liability (Findlaw)
- Information about Seroquel (PsychCentral.com)
- Directory of Chicago personal injury law firms (FindLaw)
