I have written here before that many nursing homes “over-medicate” their residents with antipsychotic drugs. This practice of over medication results in a sedated resident population which doesn’t place staffing demands on the facility. The corporate owners of nursing homes know that if they can keep their staffing costs down they can realize greater financial profits! Well…the party may be over!
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is asking four drug companies how they market antipsychotic drugs to nursing home residents as part of a review on how the drugs are used in the facilities. The antipsychotics include AstraZeneca’s Seroquel, Eli Lilly’s Zyprexa and Johnson & Johnson’s Risperdal and all contain a black box warning on their labeling saying the drugs are associated with an increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia.
Go get ‘em Senator Grassley!