Parkinson's Drug Causes Compulsive Gambling and Sex Addiction

Two drug companies are being sued over allegations that prescription drugs manufactured by them for treating Parkinson's disease are causing gambling and pornography addiction. The group includes people who lost huge amounts of money and were facing family breakdowns as a result of compulsive gambling allegedly linked to drugs they took between 1997 and last year, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

A few exhibited compulsive sexual behavior such as looking at pornography on the Internet.

They are suing Pfizer Australia, over its drug Cabaser and Aspen Pharmacare, which marketed and distributed the drug Permax in Australia.

Both drugs are known as "dopamine agonists", and mimic the effects of dopamine in the brain, which produces a "rush", and believed to cause risk-taking behavior and addictions.

The Australian class action is being run by the law firm Arnold Thomas and Becker, which says in its writ filed with the Federal Court that Pfizer Australia and Aspen Pharmacare Australia had breached a duty of care by failing to research possible side effects of their drugs, or by failing to heed research into side effects.

A directions hearing will be held today. The drug companies have not yet been served with the writ and so, have not filed a response.

Source-ANI