Ritalin Class-Action Lawsuits

Ritalin Class-Action Lawsuits

The Ritalin class-action lawsuits were a series of federal consumer class actions filed in 2000 in five U.S. federal districts, including California. The suits alleged that the maker of the stimulant medication methylphenidate (brand name Ritalin) conspired with the American Psychiatric Association and an advocacy group to invent and promote attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a market for the drug. All five suits were dismissed or withdrawn by the end of 2002. The case record does not document any monetary resolution.

Product and defendants

Methylphenidate, sold under the brand name Ritalin, is a stimulant medication prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. At the time of the litigation it was made by Novartis, which was named as a defendant together with the American Psychiatric Association, the professional body that publishes the diagnostic criteria used to classify ADHD, and CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), a patient advocacy organization.

The allegations

The core allegation was that the makers of methylphenidate and the American Psychiatric Association had conspired to invent and promote the disorder to create a highly profitable market for the drug, and that CHADD had deliberately increased the supply of Ritalin and worked to ease restrictions on its supply to help increase Novartis's profits. The complaints further alleged that the company promoted the idea that a significant share of children had a condition requiring medication, marketed Ritalin as the treatment of choice for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, supported advocacy organizations that pushed for more diagnoses while appearing neutral, and distributed misleading sales and promotional material to parents, schools, and other audiences.

Plaintiffs and their lawyers pointed to a marked rise in Ritalin production in the late 1990s as evidence of a manufactured demand. The plaintiffs' counsel, several of whom had previously represented claimants in asbestos and tobacco litigation, framed the conduct as comparable to those industries, and one of the lead attorneys described the purpose of the suits as getting Ritalin off the market.

Defendants' responses

A Novartis spokesperson answered the claims by stating that Ritalin had been used safely and effectively for over 40 years in the treatment of ADHD patients and was the most studied drug prescribed for the disorder. The American Psychiatric Association called the conspiracy allegation ludicrous and wholly false, pointing to scientific evidence it said refuted the claims.

Litigation and outcome

The first class action was filed in 2000, with the others following in five districts. The first dismissal came in the California case: the court dismissed the suit under California's anti-SLAPP statute — the procedure designed to end lawsuits that target protected speech — and for failure to state a claim, finding that the defendants' speech was protected under both the United States and California constitutions. The court also ordered the plaintiffs to pay the legal fees of Novartis, the American Psychiatric Association, and CHADD. In one of the other suits, the court concluded that the allegations were fully without merit because the plaintiffs had not provided concrete statements documenting their claims.

By the end of 2002 all five class actions had been dismissed or withdrawn, without a trial and without a jury determination on the merits. A Novartis spokesperson noted that the dismissals meant the decision of how to treat ADHD remained between parent, patient, and physician. The matter is archived as resolved by dismissal in 2002.

No primary sources are listed in the case record for this entry; the page is based on the article below.