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The Anglo Swedish maker of the drug Seroquel is challenging the opinion of three doctors who claimed that the anti psychotic treatment causes diabetes.
Attorneys for AstraZeneca called the evidence into question during a pre-trial hearing in the US following claims by a Kansas woman that Seroquel caused her to develop the syndrome.
They argue the reports submitted by the medical experts were scientifically and legally insufficient to justify Nina Scaife’s claims.
If the judge finds in AstraZeneca`s favour, the trial could be averted. But Ms Scaife`s lawyers say the experts are qualified to testify and their opinions are supported by scientific literature.
Attorney for Ms Scaife, Paul Pennock, said: “This is a drug that has been generally accepted to cause this problem. The acceptance comes from extensive peer-reviewed literature.”
In another trial involving thousands of Seroquel lawsuits, a federal judge in Florida ruled that, under Floridian law, the plaintiffs’ experts had failed to establish grounds for a trial regarding a specific causal link between Seroquel and diabetes.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
