Seroquel Settlement Talks Ordered by Federal Judge in Diabetes Suits

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The judge who is overseeing all of the federal Seroquel suits, which were filed by former users of the antipsychotic who developed diabetes and other injuries, is recommending that as many as 6,000 cases be sent back to the districts where they were originally filed for trial. Lawyers for both sides have also been ordered to meet with a mediator to see if there is any possibility for a Seroquel settlement.

During a hearing earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Anne Conway indicated that she will ask the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to return the cases to courts throughout the country for thousands of individual trials. The suits are currently consolidated before Judge Conway for pretrial proceedings as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

AstraZeneca currently faces more than 14,000 lawsuits against Seroquel, which all contain similar allegations that the drug maker failed to adequately warn users about potential side effects that may increase the risk of diabetes, weight gain, hyperglycemia and a rare movement disorder known as tardive dyskinesia.

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To date, AstraZeneca has refused to settle Seroquel cases, indicating that they will defend all lawsuits. However, internal documents produced during the litigation suggest that the drug maker was aware of the potential Seroquel side effects and continued to promote the drug as weight-neutral for years after clinical evidence demonstrated significant problems that could lead to diabetes.

Judge Conway has ordered AstraZeneca representatives and plaintiffs’ lawyers to meet with a mediator to discuss the possibility of a settlement for Seroquel cases. AstraZeneca has already spent $623 million defending the suits, including the federal litigation and thousands of other cases pending in state courts throughout the country.

Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) is an atypical-antipsychotic that is a top selling drug for AstraZeneca, generating nearly $5 billion a year in sales. Approved by the FDA in 1997 for the treatment of schizophrenia, it is also commonly used off-label for treatment of anxiety, obsessive dementia, compulsive disorders and autism. Seroquel has been used by more than 19 million people worldwide.

AstraZeneca lawyers had requested that Judge Conway send only about 60 cases back to their home districts in order to serve as test cases, so that the parties can get an idea of what juries think about the cases. Although the judge refused that request, there are 54 cases in Florida and Alabama that are almost ready to go to trial. Judge Conway indicates that she will ask other judges across the country to wait until she decides if those cases should go forward first.

Seroquel lawyers who represent plaintiffs in the litigation praised Conway’s decision, as the other 6,000 suits pending in the MDL are ready to go to trial. Returning the cases to the original districts for trial will help move the litigation towards a resolution and prevent AstraZeneca from continuing to delay justice for plaintiffs who have suffered serious and potentially life-threatening injuries. The Seroquel MDL was originally formed for the federal cases in 2006.

Tags: AstraZeneca, Diabetes, Seroquel, Tardive Dyskinesia
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21 Comments

CORRECTION [EM]
“I DID NOT WANT TO BE IN A SETTLEMENT BUT AM, DO I WANT ANYONE TO GET AWAY WITH ASSAULT & MURDER? NO!, BUT THEY DO! “. I AM IN IT AND THAT’S THE …{continued}
EM
YES!, I TO AM SICK OVER THE AMOUNT OFFERED FOR DESTROYING MY LIFE, IN 2001 I WAS GIVEN Seroquel® 1200mg A DAY FOR ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA, THE MASSIVE WEIGHT GAIN, MONTHS W/ NO MEMORY OF THE LAST, A ZOMBIE TILL MY HEART STOPPED IN MY SLEEP AND ALL THAT COMES WITH DIABETES, EDEMA, MUSCLE SPASM, CAN’T WALK 200ft, ETC. A MESS! TEN YEARS LATER THIS SETTLEMENT FOR WHAT? AMOUNT I WOULD EARN IN 2-3 MONTHS BEFORE I WAS AFFECTED BY KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH THE Seroquel® OR THAT THE GOV. WILL DEFIANTLY STOP THE S.S.D.I. THAT WITCH I HAVE ‘EARNED’, YEAH RIGHT!, I LOVE THE LIFE I HAVE NOW…. NOT!, WHAT A JOKE! WHY DOES OUR GOVERNMENT ALLOW THIS?, MAYBE I SHOULD SPILL MY McKDEE COFFEE ON MY LAP AN COLLECT 4-MILLION, BETTER YET, I’L ROB MY NEIGHBORS HOUSE AN GET HURT DOING SO, GET A COOL MILLION FROM HOMEOWNERS INS., THEY WILL PAY IT!, THIS IS NOT A GET RICH QUICK SCHEME IT’S A ‘L A W S U I T’ THEY HURT US AN ARE TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH ASSAULT & MURDER, I KNOW THAT’S FRIG-GIN RIDICULOUS! I DID NOT WANT TO BE IN A SETTLEMENT BUT AM, I DO I WANT ANYONE TO GET AWAY WITH ASSAULT & MURDER BUT THEY DO! .. I AM IN IT AND THAT’S THE ONLY TRUTH!, JUSTICE HAS A PRICE AND IT IS BEING SOLD TO AstraZeneca FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR!, NOT ON YER LIFE FOR ‘MY LIFE’, WOW 5-700 MILLION? THAT’S PENNIES TO AstraZeneca!, IT ONLY SUCKS FOR THE VICTIM/CLIENTS IN THE LAWSUIT! NOW I GET BAIL OUT AND BILL COLLECTION THREATS IF DON’T SUBMIT!, WELL I DON’T AGREE WITH THE SETTLEMENT, I HAVEN’T BEEN AGREEABLE IN 12 YEARS WITH THE MENTAL STATE/DAMAGE FROM SEROQUEL®, I DON’T AGREE WITH MUCH AT ALL, CAN’T EVEN ANSWER THE DOOR, SHEESH! IT’S A REAL A BUMMER, , THANK’S, E.M.
Soumaya
well i was wondering is there any way we all can sue our lyawer since they got all the money it doesn’t seem right we all are damage for life and problemly will suffer with alot of aliment that comes along with diabetes like kidney frailer heart disease poor correlation in your leg going blind and on medication the rest of our life.and all the pain and suffering that we and our love ones will have to go throw and all we got out of the law suite was 25.000 some got 10..000 and some got 6.000.and when the lyawer and medicaid get theirs some will end up with out of the 25.00 you will problemly end up with 5000 out of the 10.000 you problemly will end up with 3000 and out of the 6000 you will problemly end up with 2000. and the lyawers will end up with all the money and they will have use us the victims to make there money and we as the victims will suffer and die from a drug companies greed and lyawer greed. it isn’t right that we get this small amount of money and where it is us that have and will pay a high price. for astrazencea creed ..so if any one out has and answer and no away to sue the lyawers for all the money they have made off our medical health problem please let us no so we can be included. because just maybe we all can file a class action law suite against them
Doris
I had no ideal weight gain was a factor as well because I’m type 2 I was on Seraquel for years and picked up so much weight and other complications . My law firm indicated the pharmaceutical company need 95% to start the disibrution of the awards , well I was informed my law firm is in the 90 plus % , THEY NEED TO START EMDIATELY MAILING OUR CHECKS TO US , I was told the other percentage was not happy with their award amount , I don’t blame them for being upset mostly everyone was expecting more , but the checks need to get in the mail to us we’ve been waiting & , waiting & , waiting. Now when I call my “Law Firm” they’re not calling their clients back , unlike before “promptly” I’m just hurt & upset & already not feeling well , this all is so stressful.
timothy
i took that mess for serval months i got a case of diabetes but i need up have male problem that last 2 yrs
Ted
Siimilar lawsuits settled for billions, not millions and the consequences for the clients were not as severe as seroquel’s side effects. i gained over 40 lbs and now take diabetes medication. The law firm i signed with cannot give me specifics. they said they would try and settle by xmas(2010). now they don’t know. Astra zeneca spent almost 700 million in court fees alone and all the lawyers could get was 189 million? Does any of this make sense to anyone?After the 40 per cent the lawyers get there will be very little left foe the clients.
GLADYS
MY BROTHER BLOOD SUGAR ALWAYS OUT OF CONTROL. LEGS SWELLING AND ALWAYS FALLING OUT. BLOOD SUGAR ALWAYS UP AND DOWN.
reg
i took seroquel for depression. i started taking meds. for diabetes not long after. my blood sugar was up,my legs hurt,and i had problems swallowing.
melanie
I took seroquel back in 2001,I was on this stuff for 7years threw this time my blood sugar was up and down,not only that I started having problems with my legs theyn hurt all the time and everyone started to notice that i was kicking and moving in my sleep which i would wake up and couldn’t go back to sleep,when i told the doctor he upped the dosage then problem had gotten worse i started twitching and had problems swollowing and the kicking had gotten worse when i went to tested for the movement the doctor told me i had restless leg syndrom and that my legs moved 49times a minute which means i was contently moving thats why i could never sleep good .now it’s been 3years since i’ve been on it and i still have the movements .is anyone else experincing this?and if so what did you do
HealthIssuse2
I took seroquel and developed diabetes 2. I was advise to discontinue the medicine but I still have high blood sugars. I was taking it because I couldn’t sleep. what is going to happen now that have settle would those who filed a claim be in the law suit? I diagnoise in 2007.
thaddeus
Itook seroquel for one or two months and contracted diabetes1 now I am suffering illness that I can not control I take four injections A day plus eight different pills A day I do not think its right that astrazeneca can play god the justice system should do what is right and find astrazeneca liable for their actions it is only common sense justdo the fair thing and asks them to settle and stop being so greedy we need justise that is american thank you.
shelly
aztrazenca needs to stop playin games and settle because they have put so many ppl including my self in harms way for the rest of our lives not knowing if we are going to survive the next day………seroquel ruined my life and no amount of money can give my health back
priscilla
I developed type 11 diabetes after several months on seroquel. I also have gained approx. 50 pounds. No history of diabetes in family, have never been overweight until seroquel. Now, I will have diabetes the remainder of my life. This is a very serious side effect. I wish i had never been given Seroquel. The company that makes the drug should be held responsible.
JULIE
DOES ANYONE THINK WE’LL EVER SEE A SETTLEMENT?
paulette
ii was diagnoised with bipolar and was given seroquell my life has not been the same i develope diabetes highsugar gained weight have to take insulin everyday as you know diabetes is no joke it can cause heartattack stroke kidney failure now who would want to live life like that that astrazenca you all need to do the right thing and settle your misstakes thatyouall caused .
scott
My wife was placed on seroquel 5 yrs ago now her sugar levels are all out of wack up in the 500 to 600 range takes 3 shots a day still have problems cant get any info out of lawyers ( levin-simes-kaiser-gornick) she had them for over 3 yrs if any one has up dates please post
Leroy
I was given seroquel for schizophrenia and developed a serious case of diabetes (with no family history). The makers of this infamous product can never give us back our physical health, so, monetary compensation would be a small token in comparison to the irreversible diseases that it has caused thousands of people to contract.
VICKIE
BECAUSE THEY GET PAIDDDDDDDDDDD.
rick
I was given seroquel for schizophrenia why do they make a drug that has no complete cure or actually no connection to the problem that they say the drug was made for. I know medicine must exist somewere I was at least physicaly healthy before this . If I over ate and gained 3 pounds I would be suprised . but going from 165 to 265 and becoming diabetic is unbelievable . if I get money for this god knows a release of liability to astra zeneca and a reinvestment in the correct pharm corp will be part justice done. or maybe I will have to find a cure myself.
sharon
I took Seroquel for over a year for insomnia and gained about 20lbs. I had gastric bypass surgery before that and was surprised to find myself gaining weight. My doctor changed me to geodon. I got Tardive dyskinesia which is a possible side effect of seroquel and geodon. Anybody taking a drug in that family of drugs needs to look that up. It’s terrible and possibly permanent. I am dealing with depression and anxiety now.
Michael
i have diabetes from seroquel,now im dieing can money bring my life back.

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