© Drago Prvulovic/AFP/Getty ImagesThe sign of the Swedish-British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is pictured at the plant in Lund, Sweden, March 2, 2010. Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will pay $520 million to settle charges that it allegedly marketed the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel to children and elderly patients for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Justice Department Alleges Pharmaceutical Firm Illegally Marketed Schizophrenia DrugPharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will pay $520 million in fines to settle charges by the federal government that it illegally marketed the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel to children and elderly patients for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
AstraZeneca, one of the country's biggest drug firms, allegedly pulled in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars through Medicare and Medicaid kickbacks and scams. Seroquel is used to treat schizophrenia in patients older than 13, and bipolar disorder in patients older than 10.
The FDA approved Seroquel to treat only psychotic disorders, specifically short-term treatments of schizophrenia, bipolar mania and bipolar depression. The government claims that AstraZeneca intentionally marketed the drugs -- by paying kickbacks to doctors -- for a variety of illnesses for which it had never been tested, including aggression, Alzheimer's, anger management, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleeplessness. It was given to the elderly, children, veterans and inmates, who were treated as "guinea pigs," according to the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Comment: For additional information about the health risks of cell phones and microwave radiation read the following articles on SOTT:
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