Washington (H24N). A lawsuit was filed in California federal court yesterday against Ritalin manufacturer Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. and the professional group the American Psychiatric Association, alleging that they worked together to increase the number of children dependent on the drug.

Deborah Vess filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court of the Southern District of California on behalf of her 15-year-old son Todd Vess, who began taking Ritalin when he was 9 years old.

"Novartis took steps to promote and dramatically increase the sales of Ritalin by actively promoting and supporting the concept that a significant percentage of children suffer from a ‘disease’ which required narcotic treatment and therapy," reads the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants distributed misleading sales and promotional literature to parents, schools and other interested persons in a successful effort to increase the number of diagnoses and the number of Ritalin prescriptions.

Ritalin, also known as methylphenidate, has been used increasingly over the last 10 years to treat children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD).

In recent years, the increased use of Ritalin has sparked a debate among government officials, psychiatrists and scientists. Some think Ritalin is being overprescribed, while others argue that more children are being diagnosed with these disorders than ever before thanks to increased awareness.

Novartis representatives, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, could not be reached for comment in time for publication. Representatives at the American Psychiatric Association did not return calls.

One of the attorneys involved in the lawsuit is Richard Scruggs from Pascagoula, Miss., who has represented more than a dozen states in recent years in class action suits against the tobacco industry. He also filed lawsuits earlier this year against several health maintenance organizations, alleging that they cheated customers by not delivering needed care.

The Ritalin lawsuit claims that the defendants did not sufficiently warn the public about the potential side effects of Ritalin use, which include heart palpitations, hypertension, chest pain, heart attack, psychotic hallucinations, insomnia, anxiety, depression, anorexia, vomiting, weight loss, anemia, growth suppression and convulsions.

"Novartis deliberately, willfully, intentionally and negligently promoted the diagnoses of ADD/ADHD and sales of Ritalin through its promotional literature and training of sales representatives," reads the lawsuit. "In doing so, despite knowledge of such problems and/or adverse reactions, the defendants willfully failed to address or provide adequate information to consumers, doctors and/or schools concerning the many significant hazards of methylphenidate use and prescription."

NEWS AND TRENDS | CAREER CENTER | EDUCATION
Home | Resources
Site Index | Contact Us | FAQs | Subscribe | Advertise