The State of Alaska will receive just over half a million dollars from an international health care company because the company illegally marketed a drug to nursing homes. Abbott Laboratories promoted the anti-seizure medication Depakote as a drug for treating aggression and agitation in elderly dementia patients. The FDA did not approve the use nor is it scientifically validated. The federal government and the other states that filed a suit against Abbott will receive $1.5 billion in total from the settlement.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her at ahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anne here.
