Neurontin, a prescription drug, is FDA-approved to help treat epilepsy and shingles pain. However, 90 percent of Neurontin prescriptions are for off-label uses such as treatment of bipolar disorder and a variety of pain syndromes. A growing number of lawsuits focus on an alleged side effect of Neurontin -- suicide. The FDA admitted that a problem exists, with officials referring to the link between Neurontin and suicides as an “imminent health hazard.”
Attorneys general from 47 states are currently investigating if Neurontin maker Pfizer Corp. illegally marketed the epilepsy drug. When Neurontin was first FDA approved, the drug was intended as an add-on epilepsy treatment, however off label use became a regular, widespread practice. Soon, Neurontin became a blockbuster hit, selling over $1.3 billion per year. The high sales were greatly controversial because the majority of sales were estimated to have come from off-label use.
