gambling caused by drug

Victoria Ahearn Canadian Press Tuesday, May 10, 2005 TORONTO (CP) - An Ontario man who alleges he developed a gambling addiction as a result of using a Parkinson's drug called Mirapex is the representative claimant in a proposed class action lawsuit. The Toronto law firm Thomson, Rogers, said Monday that plaintiffs are seeking compensation from the drug's Canadian manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., and two American corporations, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer. Calls to all three drug-makers for comment were not returned by late Monday afternoon. Gerard Schick, the 56-year-old plaintiff from Midland, Ont., filed a statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last Thursday, saying he started taking Mirapex in August 1999, two years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's. "Soon after taking this drug, once the dosage was increased a bit, within a few months he started gambling compulsively," Darcy Merkur, Schick's lawyer, said Monday. "And this is not a person who had a propensity to gamble. This is a gentleman who, on an annual basis, would spend no more than $100 gambling." The married father of two, and grandfather to three, gambled "relentlessly" at casinos and racetracks, and spent "large sums of money on lottery tickets" after taking Mirapex, says the statement. After maxing-out his credit cards, cleaning out his bank accounts and borrowing from friends and family members, Schick says he and his wife were forced to file for bankruptcy and sell their home. "Over the course of a few years (he) lost in excess of $100,000," says Merkur. "We've spoken to five people already in Canada who have suffered a similar experience and have lost anywhere from $100,000 to $750,000." The statement of claim alleges the defendants "purposefully downplayed and understated the health hazards and risks associated with the use of Mirapex." None of the allegations have been proven in court. The class-action suit, which needs approval by a judge to proceed, seeks - among other things - general damages in the amount of $3 million for each claimant and damages for gambling losses. Merkur expects "about 100 people" to come forward with claims. Mirapex, the brand name for pramipexole dihydrochloride, was approved for sale in Canada in October 1999. It belongs to a class of drugs called dopamine agonists, which mimic the action of dopamine, a monoamine neurotransmitter that's lacking in the brains of Parkinson's sufferers. Dr. Mandar Jog, associate professor of neurology at the University of Western Ontario, says the entire class of drugs has been linked to obsessional behaviour, gambling being one of them. "There are many other obsessional behaviours that can occur in Parkinson's disease patients," he said Monday from his London, Ont., office. "I wouldn't say that it is exclusively related to this drug by any means, but it has been reported with Mirapex." Jog, director of the Movement Disorder Clinic at the London Health Sciences Centre, says it's not known if the problem is "an exaggeration of a pre-existing condition to a certain extent or whether it is an entirely drug-induced phenomenon." Jog points out that stimulation of the dopamine chemical can also result in "other types of phenomena," including hyper sexuality and aggressiveness. He also says patients are warned of the side-effects of the drugs, adding that the benefits outweigh the negatives. "These drugs have made a huge impact in the treatment of Parkinson's disease." © The Canadian Press 2005