• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Depression Drug Illegally Marketed to Kids, Kickbacks Paid, FDA Approved Anyway

depression drug, FDA, kickbacks

A five year probe of Forest Laboratories by the U.S. Justice Department into illegal marketing of Lexapro to children has an ironic twist to it: The FDA just approved the use of Lexapro for depression in children.

“Federal health care programs have paid thousands of false and fraudulent claims for Celexa and Lexapro prescriptions that were not covered for off-label pediatric use and/or were ineligible for payment as a result of illegal kickbacks paid by Forest.”

On February 25, the Justice Department accused Forest of bribing pediatricians to prescribe Celexa and Lexapro with things like spa visits, sports tickets, Broadway shows, and fishing trips in Minnesota. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration gave the go-ahead to use Lexapro to treat depression in adolescents aged 12 to 17.

Federal prosecutors say Celexa is not any more effective for children or teenagers than taking a placebo, and more patients taking Celexa attempted suicide or reported suicidal thoughts.

The Justice Department prosecutors also claim that both Lexapro and Celexa, another of Forest’s antidepressants, have been improperly used for treating depression in children for a long time. One study showed that Celexa was not effective for use in children, and even Forest admits that the effectiveness was not shown in two different studies, a Lexapro trial with patients aged 7 to 17 and another study of Celexa in adolescents.

Even weirder, Forest Laboratories said that Lexapro’s ability to maintain control of symptoms in adolescents had not been demonstrated, but the FDA concluded that maintenance efficacy can be “extrapolated” from adult data. How’s that for federal intervention – the FDA contradicts the maker of the drug. Makes me wish we had a “WTF?” category for this blog, ’cause “Health” is kinda misleading…

Forest Labs claims that 2 million adolescents in the United States are affected by depression, and Lexapro is only the second approved drug for that age group.

Not surprising, Lexapro is Forest Laboratories’ highest selling product, bringing in over $2 billion a year, and the fifteenth top seller of all prescription drugs in the US.

So who’s getting paid off here?

There’s never any mention made in studies of depression in children about diet or lifestyle, yet many experts have made the connection between the foods we eat and the way we feel. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our practice of prescribing drugs to children was a last resort and not driven by a heavily marketed, payola-based scheme?

Image: klynslis at Flickr under Creative Commons

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Custom Eco-Friendly Screenprinting by Ecoprintworks
GoodGuide Now Rates Food Products »

Comments

  1. Jason DeBord says

    March 23, 2009 at 6:06 am

    An old college roommate of mine used to peddle both of those drugs as a rep for Forest. Forest does not make its drugs; it is a marketing company, and all that they care about is making money, not improving health. I remind the people at Forest and other Pharma hawking poisons to our children that nothing happens in secret, and every individual responsible for pushing this crap will be held accountable. Hey Derek, I think that you really are on to something in the last part of your post: children are depressed because of the stuff we feed their bodies and minds. From hormones in our meat and milk to excessive sugar and stimulants to declining nutritional value in our produce….

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Celexa And Depression | Medicine Blog says:
    March 13, 2011 at 11:31 pm

    […] depression drug, FDA ecochildsplay.com […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Eco-Friendly Decorating: How Removable Wallpaper Can Reduce Waste

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

More from the archives!

Earthwise Kids Organic Gift Set: Comfortable, Practical, Sustainable, and Educational

Breast Milk "Signals" Infant Behavior and Temperament in Rhesus Monkeys

Children’s literature for cyclists: Eric’s Big Day

The Organic Consumer’s Association: Food Safety Bill HR 2749 is Not Enough

Homemade Organic Popsicles

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy
Low Down on VOCs

The Low Down on VOC Free Paints

Clinically Proven Natural Weight Loss: Svetol Green Coffee Bean with 50% Chlorogenic Acid

Mylicon Recall: Popular Gas Relief Product May Contain Metal

NHS Doctors Prescribe Garden Therapy to Treat Depression

Children’s Literature: Bruce Coville’s Magic Shop Books

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

30 Green Ways to Stretch Your Family's Budget

The Best New Green Cleaning Products

Vegan Thanksgiving: Pomegranate, Chia Seed, Cranberry Sauce

Homeopathic Pink Eye Relief

1977 Sesame Street: Big Bird Learns about Breastfeeding

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.