Posted on 07/19/2002 4:49:32 PM PDT by TheOtherOne
16-Year Old Boy Received Unsolicited Prozac in the Mail
Published: Jul 19, 2002
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"I was livid," said the boy's mother, Sue Grinstead of Palm Beach. "My son knew enough not to take it, but what about the other kids?"
A spokesman for the Walgreen Co. drugstore chain, Michael Polzin, confirmed the family's account that a month's supply of Prozac was sent to 16-year-old Michael Grinstead. He said the boy's name was among others sent by a local doctors' office to a Walgreen's in Palm Beach with instructions to send them the drug samples.
"We apologize to the patients who received the drug," Polzin said by telephone. He said there were so many names on the doctors' list of intended recipients that the pharmacy called to doctors' office to confirm the prescriptions before sending them out.
The mailings already have prompted an invasion of privacy lawsuit by a 59-year-old woman who was among the recipients. Identified only by the initials S.K., she sued Eli Lilly & Co, which makes the drug, Walgreen Co, which sent it, and her doctors.
Michael's family has retained the same lawyer, Gary Farmer Jr., and plans to file a lawsuit alleging invasion of privacy and possible unauthorized practice of medicine. Under Florida law, it is illegal to prescribe a drug to a minor without consent of a parent or guardian.
The Florida Attorney General has already issued subpoenas to Eli Lilly, Walgreen and S. K.'s doctors to determine if any state laws were broken. More could be issued if warranted, said John Newton, senior assistant attorney general in Florida.
Eli Lilly has also apologized for the mailing, which it believes reached less than 150 people. The Indianapolis-based drug giant said the campaign was not an official promotion and it is trying to determine exactly who is responsible. Several Eli Lilly employees in Florida have been suspended with pay, the company said.
The mailings at first appeared to target people who were already taking an antidepressant and who might then switch to Prozac. However, Michael's mother said he had never been prescribed such a drug or even been treated for depression.
The family had used a different pharmacy, an Eckerd store, not Walgreen's. Farmer said the family is worried that Michael's name was passed along in a customer list, but Eckard spokeswoman Tami Alderman said patient names are not given to drug companies.
"We are still trying to get to the bottom of what is going on," Farmer said. "But it looks like drug companies are taking marketing to a whole new level."
Michael's mother said the Prozac was accompanied by a letter from a doctor who is not their family's primary physician but works in the same doctors' group. The letter suggested switching to Prozac.
AP-ES-07-19-02 1918EDT
Send your extra Prozac to me!
What if I am on a different kind of medication that may interfere with Prozac?
That's your problem. Ever hear of personal responsibility? And BTW, my Uncle Eli has 436 lawyers. </sarcasm>
Also, what was in it for the doctor?
Sounds like this woman may need to be medicated for the safety of her son. Does Social Services know about this?
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