AstraZeneca Faces More Seroquel Lawsuits

In deference to my back, let me quickly point you all to this article concerning about 350 lawsuits that were filed against AZ regarding allegations around its drug Seroquel. These suits are in addition to the federal class action suit based in Florida, lawsuits from some state governments and a Congressional investigation.

The gist:

"The litigation arose from a label change ordered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2003, indicating that Seroquel users are at heightened risk of contracting diabetes. No link has been proven, but plaintiffs who took the drug before that date have claimed injury and say they were not adequately warned of this risk."

A lawyer representing AZ says:

"Michael P. Kelly, the managing partner of Newark, N.J.-based McCarter & English's Wilmington office, who leads AstraZeneca's Seroquel defense team in Delaware state court, said that the company does not plan to settle the cases. "In boxing terms, we will go toe to toe -- no 'rope a dope' here. We stand behind Seroquel, which is a great product that has helped a lot of people," said Kelly."

In patient terms, rope-a-dope is about what taking Seroquel is like.