Thousands of patients that developed gambling addictions after taking Abilify are now suing American drug giant Bristol-Myers for damages. These plaintiffs hope that an Abilify lawsuit settlement can help them recover significant gambling losses while taking the drug. The antipsychotic is now known to cause serious Abilify side effects — including compulsive behaviors that are almost impossible to resist. This includes irresistible gambling urges, sex addiction, compulsive shopping and binge eating. As a result, patients suffered serious economic, personal, and professional losses. This year, manufacturers preemptively paid an Abilify lawsuit settlement to avoid three bellwether trials set for June. Read on to see how much your Abilify lawsuit settlement may be worth.

Manufacturers Pay Abilify Lawsuit Settlement Before Three Bellwether Trials Head to Court

Because consumers only recently learned about Abilify’s more dangerous side effects, litigation is relatively new. Abilify’s known dangers and damages aren’t recent, but the FDA didn’t issue a compulsive behavior warning until 2016. Patients and doctors were not aware of this strange side effect until the FDA warning. Though plaintiffs claim that Otsuka and Bristol-Myers, Abilify’s manufacturers, did know.

Soon after Abilify’s market launch in 2002, patients began reporting compulsive behavior side effects to doctors and the FDA alike. In 2013, the European Medicines Agency pushed for an updated label of Abilify. They noted that the drug’s side effects could include suicide and gambling addiction.

In 2014, Canada added the same warnings to its Abilify drug labeling and patient education materials. This came after researchers published two eye-opening studies that same year. Results from the first study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors linked aripiprazole (Abilify) to pathological gambling urges. The second study’s results published in JAMA “confirm and extend the evidence that dopamine receptor agonist drugs (like Abilify), are associated with these specific impulse control disorders.” Researchers also noted that no FDA-approved drug in this class carried boxed warnings about compulsive behavior risks for patients.

Lawsuits are now underway from plaintiffs after the drug upended their emotional and financial stability. Plaintiffs with serious economic losses due to compulsive gambling and other behaviors may qualify for a cash settlement. Most cases claim that Otsuka and Bristol-Myers knew about the compulsive behavior risks, but failed to warn U.S. patients and doctors.

Otsuka Pays Abilify Lawsuit Settlement for Illegal Marketing Practices

In 2008, Otsuka’s US unit paid $4 million for a off-label Abilify lawsuit settlement. However, the company didn’t release other details about this specific Abilify lawsuit settlement to the public. In that specific case, the government alleged Otsuka promoted Abilify from 2002-2005 for off-label use in children. Another off-label allegation stated Otsuka encouraged doctors to prescribe Abilify to treat dementia-related psychosis. The DOJ claimed Otsuka directed its sales force to focus on marketing the drug to child psychiatrists and other pediatric specialists. At the time, Abilify only had FDA approval for us in adults with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

In 2016, the drug maker agreed to pay a $19.5 million Abilify lawsuit settlement with the AGs in 42 U.S. states. The settlement resolved allegations that Bristol-Myers engaged in unfair or deceptive trade practices while marketing the drug. The main complaint alleged that Bristol-Myers illegally promoted Abilify for use in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. But other allegations stated that Bristol-Myers promoted Abilify for use in children off-label — without FDA approval. Lawyers also asserted Bristol-Myers intentionally minimized Abilify’s risks.

To date, no individual has yet won an Abilify lawsuit settlement from a jury ruling in court. But based on past and current litigation, plaintiffs with large gambling losses may reach an Abilify lawsuit settlement very soon. Patients who took the drug without understanding the risks are joining MDL 2734 to qualify for an Abilify lawsuit settlement.

If you or a loved one took Abilify and sustained major gambling losses from compulsive behavior, you may qualify for compensation. That’s because Otsuka and Bristol-Myers minimized, misrepresented, and failed to warn consumers about the drug’s potential side effect risks.