You may fit the Philadelphia antiepileptic-drug mass-tort program if you took gabapentin or pregabalin long-term and later received a dementia or major memory-loss diagnosis. A mass tort groups similar injury lawsuits for joint pretrial handling, and this program covers Neurontin and Lyrica cases. The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas created the gabapentinoid program on September 8, 2026. It had 28 cases pending as of October 13, according to the Miller & Zois Lawsuit Information Center report Miller & Zois Lawsuit Information Center report.
Table of Contents
- What does the Philadelphia program do?
- Which use and diagnosis patterns qualify for screening?
- Why does off-label prescribing matter here?
- What evidence links these drugs to dementia?
What does the Philadelphia program do?
The program is a products-liability consolidation for gabapentinoid injury claims. The Legal Intelligencer report says it brings together dozens of cases linking neurocognitive decline and early-onset dementia to gabapentinoid use.
The complaints name Pfizer and its subsidiaries. That same Legal Intelligencer report says plaintiffs allege negligent failure to warn patients and healthcare providers about those cognitive effects.
Which use and diagnosis patterns qualify for screening?
Screening firms focus on long-term or repeated use followed by a qualifying brain diagnosis. Case screeners described in the Miller & Zois Lawsuit Information Center summary point to this group: Burg Simpson says attorneys are reviewing nationwide claims for prescribed gabapentin or pregabalin followed by cognitive impairment or early-onset dementia. The review centers on inadequate warnings, especially for off-label uses.
- long-term or repeated gabapentin use, then dementia
- long-term or repeated pregabalin use, then mild cognitive impairment
- either drug, then early-onset dementia
- either drug, then severe, documented memory loss
Why does off-label prescribing matter here?
Off-label means a doctor prescribed the drug for a condition outside its federal approval. The approval sets the uses the warning label was written to cover.
📨 Get Free Mass Tort Guides Alerts
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
Neurontin is approved only for postherpetic neuralgia in adults and added seizure treatment for partial-onset seizures in adults and children age 3 and older with epilepsy, according to the current Neurontin label. Chronic back pain and similar long-term pain uses fall outside that approval. Plaintiffs argue that long, off-label courses left patients exposed without proper cognitive-risk warnings.
What evidence links these drugs to dementia?
A 2025 Case Western-led review studied chronic low-back-pain records over 10 years. People with six or more gabapentin prescriptions had 29% higher linked dementia risk and 85% higher mild-cognitive-impairment risk, according to the Sokolove Law summary of the study.
That finding shows association, not proven causation. Burg Simpson notes the litigation remains in an early investigative stage with no settlements or verdicts. Pull pharmacy printouts with dates and refills, plus neurology notes showing when impairment began.
You Might Also Like
- L’Oréal Mass Tort Strategy and What It Means for Liability Claims
- Mass Tort Attorney Fees: What Percentage of Your Settlement Goes to Legal Costs?
- How Do Attorneys Vet New Clients for a Mass Tort Lawsuit?