Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and 43 other states anounced a $100 million consumer protection settlement with Abbott Laboratories on Monday over allegations of illegal marketing of its drug, Depakote.
Depakote is approved for treatment of seizure disorders, mania associated with bipolar disorder, and prevention of migraines. But the states’ complaint alleges that Abbott marketed the drug for treating unapproved uses, including “agitation associated with dementia and as combination therapy with antipsychotic medicines to treat schizophrenia,” the statement by D.C. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan said.
Virginia’s share of the settlement tops $2 million, and Maryland will receive more than $1.8 million from Abbott. The District’s share will be just over $1 milion, plus about $255,000 from a related settlement of Medicaid fraud claims from Abbott’s marketing of Depakote.
The deal is the largest consumer protection settlement that state attorneys general have ever reached with a pharmaceutical company.
