Huge Prescriber of Risky Antipsychotic Drug to Plead Guilty to Taking Kickbacks

[n2doc]

A former Chicago psychiatrist who was the nation's top prescriber of the most powerful and riskiest antipsychotic drug intends to plead guilty to a federal felony charge of taking kickbacks from its manufacturer in exchange for prescriptions, court records show.

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois filed a single felony charge against Dr. Michael Reinstein this week for taking $2,000 in November 2009 from drugmaker Teva "in return for Reinstein's referrals of patients" for clozapine prescriptions.

Clozapine, also known as Clozaril and FazaClo, is approved to treat schizophrenia patients who don't respond to other medications. But it can have dangerous side effects, including seizures, inflammation of the heart muscle, and a drop in white blood cells. The drug is considered particularly risky for elderly patients.

A note in court records says that Reinstein intends to plead guilty at his arraignment next Friday. The action was first reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Reinstein's prescribing patterns have been detailed in two ProPublica reports.

more

http://www.propublica.org/article/huge-prescriber-of-antipsychotic-drug-to-plead-guilty-to-taking-kickbacks

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. Over-educated, over-paid...

drug pusher.

[steve2470]

2. so glad he was busted! nt

[LiberalAndProud]

3. He works cheap.

He sold his license to practice for two grand. I think the man is not so smart.

[cui bono]

5. Seriously.

And not only that, to potentially kill/injure other human beings.

[BrotherIvan]

4. I'd like to see more of this

There was a case in LA of a doctor who prescribed too many pain meds for even non-patients. Doctors should be monitored more closely to impropriety and incompetence than they currently are.

[mopinko]

6. figure to see more of this w the aca.

finally looking at the data that the gov already owns, like medicare and medicaid records, which used to be sealed away, will flush out the con men.