July 05, 2007
$10 Billion For Seroquel Suits?
According to Lawyersandseattlements.com, AstraZeneca could be facing upwards of $10 billion in payouts over lawsuits related to Seroquel, the company's atypical antipsychotic. I'm not sure that I buy the amount--Lilly, after all, has paid out about $1.3 billion over Zyprexa, an amount I expect to see grow--but it's clear to me that AZ will likely end up settling some lawsuits over its handling of the drug. Stay tuned.
Posted by Philip Dawdy at July 5, 2007 09:48 AM
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"Little wonder that antipsychotic drugs are the darlings of the industry - to the point where we're even giving them to our kids, apparently. Who wouldn't rather have a stable, socially balanced child never prone to temper tantrums?
And even though Seroquel is approved only for use with adults, the prescribing of antipsychotic drugs for children has nearly doubled in the United States."
I have a feeling Seroquel could top Zyprexa in scandal and pay out to lawsuits like never seen before. This medication is being prescribed to a larger population and age range bracket than Zyprexa.
It would be surprising if the Seroquel actions resulted in payments of $10 billion. After all, only a minority of those who had taken Zyprexa and developed diabetes have sought redress along with eight States. Utah's Attorney General recently stated that about 1500 Medicaid enrollees had taken Zyprexa and developed diabetes. To date, only about 100 persons in Utah have individually sued Lilly.
