Victorian court approves payout deal with company after patients developed gambling, sex and eating addictions after taking Cabaser and Dostinex

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Parkinson’s disease sufferers who developed gambling, eating and sexual addictions after taking Pfizer medications could share in millions of dollars in compensation, after a Victorian court approved a deal with the company.



Patients who used Cabaser, to treat tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease, or Dostinex, for increased prolactin levels, claimed to have gambled away entire life savings after taking the drug despite not having pre-existing gambling problems.



Others reported suffering from various forms of obsessive behaviour not normal to them including compulsive eating, spending, hyper-sexuality, repetitive tasks or a combination of all of them.



The federal court approved the settlement on confidential terms on Thursday after a four-year court battle.



Class action proceedings on behalf of 172 users of the drug had been set to begin early this year.