Court approves Abbott settlement for wrongly marketing Depakote

The pharmaceutical company will pay $1.5 billion for marketing the drug for non-approved uses.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Federal Court In Va. Approved $1.5B Abbott Laboratories Settlement Over Depakote
A federal court in Virginia on Tuesday approved a settlement in which Abbott Laboratories agreed to pay $1.5 billion over allegations that it promoted the anti-seizure drug Depakote for uses that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration ... Depakote is an anti-seizure and mood-stabilizing drug prescribed for bipolar disorder (10/2).

The Wall Street Journal: Court Sentences Abbott For Off-Label Promotion Of Antiseizure Drug
Abbott was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $500 million, forfeit another $198.5 million, and pay $1.5 million to the Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for marketing the drug for patients with dementia and schizophrenia. The drug manufacturer will also be subject to a five-year term of probation (Jones, 10/2).