Seroquel Victory For AstraZeneca Which Says Bring Em On
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AstraZeneca didn’t know what to expect. Thousands of cases are pending against its antipsychotic drug Seroquel, claiming it causes diabetes and weight gain. Wednesday, the company won dismissal of two lawsuits in central Florida.
U.S. District Judge Anne Conway in Orlando ruled the cases, “Just didn’t meet the standards” to go to trial. Judge Conway is overseeing the lawsuits that have been consolidated in central Florida. The plaintiffs in these cases, Linda Guinn and David Haller couldn’t prove that the drug led to their diabetes, the judge found.
These are just the first of 15,000 plaintiffs in the U.S. who want their day in court over claims that Seroquel causes diabetes.
AstraZeneca says it plans to try each case on the individual merits.
Attorney for the plaintiffs, Richard Laminack of Houston’s Guinn and Haller, plans to appeal. He says their suits had problems related to specific facts of their cases. The judge has ruled that former Seroquel users can claim the drug contributed to their diabetes.
In her case, Guinn says she took Seroquel for four years and gained almost 40 pounds and developed diabetes in 2006.
In 2003, the FDA demanded that AstraZeneca add a black box warning concerning diabetes and weight gain after a study found Seroquel patients were three times more likely to develop diabetes than those taking older drugs.
Guinn wanted $54 million including more than $42 million in punitive damages.
AstraZeneca, the London-based drugmaker, said in an e-mailed statement today that they are pleased with Judge Conway’s ruling and they will pursue having other cases thrown out of the Florida courts as well.
AstraZeneca has done well with Seroquel lately. Increasingly it’s given to teenagers and the elderly- driving growth for the company.
In teens, off-label use includes treating depression, autism and hyperactivity. In the elderly, it is frequently used for dementia and insomnia. Seroquel is approved for schizophrenia and in October the company won approval to use the extended-use version to treat bipolar disorder. And the drug company won a key decision that means generic copies will not be launched anytime soon.
And if it's all about profits - Seroquel delivers. Seroquel is the company’s second biggest seller after Nexium and generated more than $4 billion in sales in 2007. #