January 18th, 2010
Johnson and |Johnson, the makers of the antipsychotic drug “RISPERDOL” have been caught red handed in a court of law and found guilty of kickbacks to nursing homes in return for over medicating the clientele. Another pharmaceutical company, Eli Lily, was found guilty of a similar scheme with it’s antipsychotic drug “ZYPREXA”. Eli Lily received a $1.42 BILLION dollar fine.
Not enough apparently to ensusre they are bankrupted and disappear. Both companies are raking in record profits and no damage to the coffers apparently.
ZYPREXA , like RIRPERDOL is an antipsychotic drug, one designed to sedate heavily. So the use of it as a hypno-sleeping pill in seniors nursing homes is not only a misuse of what it was designed for, it is also a violation of the rights of those who were receiving these drugs.
The sales pitch that was used, was “5 at 5″, meaning if you give your client a dose of 5 mg at 5 pm, they will go to bed early, and sleep through the night. What ever happenned to live staffing and caring for the patient? This is similar to the lazy parent who plunks the kid down in front of the television set because the parents’ skills or interest in child rearing are absent. It’s a far cry from the care and support that a family is desiring for their elderly.
So for this criminal behaviour, Johnson and Johnson are slapped on the wrist with a fine, and carry on in business.
The pharmaceutical industry must be full of vampires. Blood sucking evil creatures that operate in secret. But even when caught, the penalty is ludicrously meager.
I think maybe we are living in the Twilight Zone, starring the makers of ZYPREXA, RISPERDOL and all the other thousands of poisonous concoctions that are good for just one thing, lining the pockets of the manufacturers and their minions.