Metoclopramide and the Supreme Court

As already mentioned on this blog the supreme court ruled that generic drug makers can't be held liable for failing to warn about drug side effects. At the heart of the case was the drug reglan or metoclopramide which has the rare side effect of tardive dyskinesia (or drug induced parkinsons). What is missed largely in the debate is that metoclopramide is not used in other western countries because its twin sister domperidone is available, has the same usage but it doesn't cause that terrible side effect. Due to some regulatory nonsense at the FDA domperidone is not available in the US, as a result a few thousand people have drug induced parkinsons.