Orlando Hosts Seroquel Drug Lawsuits
The multidistrict litigation over the antipsychotic drug Seroquel has been consolidated in Orlando for evidence-gathering and pre- trial hearings. The federal lawsuits against AstraZeneca, the drug maker, are consolidated as In re Seroquel Products Liability Litigation, MDL-1769, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida (Orlando). This includes claims by more than 7000 plaintiffs.
In their complaints, patients claim that AstraZeneca did not adequately warn of possible side effects, including severe weight gain and risk of diabetes. Many of the suits contend that the company promoted the drug for unapproved uses, contrary to U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. Seroquel, approved for use for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was marketed for off-label uses, including insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer's.
As personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers we have seen total disregard for consumer safety by various industries and product makers. However, it is difficult for us to imagine a larger scale of “profit over people” than with pharmaceutical drugs. Here, the drug victims claim that the astronomical growth in sales of Seroquel from $66 million in 1998 to $2.75 billion in 2005, was spurred by AstraZeneca's aggressive, improper marketing of Seroquel. Sadly, thousands of Seroquel victims claim pancreatitis, diabetes or severe exacerbation of existing diabetes from using this drug.
Perhaps, these lawsuits against AstraZeneca Plc, the U.K.'s second- largest drug maker, will deter similar conduct. While no guarantee, we believe that the risk of large punitive damage awards may help focus industry giants a bit more on consumer safety and well-being. From our standpoint these lawsuits appear similar to previous claims filed over injuries from the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa against Eli Lilly & Co. To date, more than 28,000 cases over Zyprexa have settled for approximately $1.2 billion.
