Psychiatrist Stefan Kruszewski blows the whistle on antipsychotic drug maker resulting in half billion dollars in fines

Harrisburg psychiatrist Stefan Kruszewski offers no pain relief for pharmaceutical companies. He testifies against them when they make false claims about their drugs, and he’s good at it. The AstraZeneca drug Seroquel is for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but the company marketed it to seniors and kids for other things and wooed doctors into over-prescribing it.

ABC News 27
WHTM.com
By Myles Snyder
April 29, 2010

Harrisburg psychiatrist Stefan Kruszewski offers no pain relief for pharmaceutical companies. He testifies against them when they make false claims about their drugs, and he’s good at it.

The AstraZeneca drug Seroquel is for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but the company marketed it to seniors and kids for other things and wooed doctors into over-prescribing it. Kruszewski blew the whistle on AstraZeneca and it was ordered to pay a half-billion dollars in fines to the government.

As a scientist, Kruszewski was angry that the company exaggerated the benefits and suppressed evidence about the drug’s negative side effects in the name of profit.

“Doctors need to be more aware and need to make decisions, not based upon what pharmaceutical companies are telling them, but based upon unbiased information,” he said.

As a whistle blower, Kruszewski gets a piece of that half billion dollar settlement worth tens of millions of dollars. It’s not the first big money case he’s won, but there’s also a cost.

Read entire article:  http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0410/731076.html