In August, a man who blamed the Parkinson & # 39; s Disease drug Mirapex for his gambling addiction was awarded $ 8.2 million in his lawsuit against the drug & # 39; s maker, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. It was considered a bellwether case, and Now being watched by many to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the other Mirapex lawsuits. Now, many legal experts believe that there is a good chance similar to to Mirapex lawsuits will be successful.
Mirapex belongs to a class of drugs known as dopamine agonists, which have long been suspected of causing compulsive behavior. Mirapex was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 to treat Parkinson & # 39; s, and in 2006, it was Other dopamine agonists include Parlodel, Dostinex, Requip, Apokyn and Neupro.
Dopamine works in the brain 's movement and coordination centers, and it is also involved in the brain & # 39; s pleasure response by reinforcing behaviors that providing enjoyment - including drinking, drugs, sex and gambling.
In many patients, Mirapex over-activates the pleasure centers in the brain. The biochemical reaction that Mirapex induces may cause some people to experience a "rush" when they are anticipating a reward or excitement.
Several studies have a link between Mirapex and similar drugs and compulsive behaviors. June to the International Congress of Parkinson & # 39; s Disease and Movement Disorders conference in Chicago, more than 13 percent of 3,090 Parkinson & # 39; s patient had a problem with compulsive gambling, buying, sex or binge - eating. People who 's finishing either Mirapex or Require had a two - to three - times greater chance of having one of the four impulse - control issues.
Unfortunately, many people who were experiencing these side effects had no no, that other people have experiencing a similar relationship between them and desperate the most dramatic evidence of linking the desperate the most dramatic evidence of linking. Despite having evidence that Mirapex caused impulse-control behaviors from clinical trials in the 1990s, the maker of the drug did not issue warnings about the problem until 2005.
As a result, more than 200 lawsuits have been filed against Boehringer Ingelheim for by mirapex patients for its drug & # 39 ; s association with impulse-control disorders.
Gary Charbonneau, who be taking taking Mirapex in December 1997, he suffered from a gambling addiction from March 2002 to February 2006. The case was heard in the US District Court in Minneapolis, where hundreds of Mirapex lawsuits have been consolidated.
Charbonneau & # 39; s lawsuit not only this that Mirapex caused his gambling problem, but that the drug & # 39; s makers, Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, knew about its potential to cause compulsive behavior, but did not issue any warnings, or took steps to investigate the true scope of the problem.
Boehringer Ingelheim, and Pfizer Inc., which marketed the drug in United States had not been liable for anything to change the FDA had not asked for FDA had not asked for any label changes, that reports that Mirapex was causing compulsive behavior. also claimed that Charbonneau & # 39; s gambling problems had preceded his use of Mirapex, and continued after he stopped taking the drug.
However, Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer are expected to appeal the decision.
Charbonneau 's case was one of three "bellwether" cases that are scheduled to be heard back to back in the Multidistrict Litigation. The trials will be used by the other potential Mirapex plaintiffs, as well as the defenders, to assess their chances for success in other lawsuits.
