Texas Lawsuit Blames Antipsychotic Seroquel for Woman’s Diabetes
Taking Seroquel to treat a mental disorder caused a Texas woman to develop diabetes and she wouldn’t have taken the drug if she knew of the risks, according to a lawsuit filed in Texas federal court.
Misty Peters claims she took the atypical antipsychotic drug, which is approved for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but also is widely used by physicians to treat other unapproved “off-label” conditions, according to a report in the Southeast Texas Record.
Peters’ product liability lawsuit, filed last week in the Beaumont Division of the Eastern District of Texas, accuses Seroquel’s maker, Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, and others of promoting the drug’s benefits and downplaying its risks while knowing it could cause users to develop diabetes and other medical problems.
Seroquel Linked to Diabetes, Other Blood-Sugar Disorders
Seroquel was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997 as a member of a newer class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics. The drugs, which control levels of dopamine in the brain, are billed as being just as effective as older antipsychotic drugs like Haldol with fewer side effects, but more recent research has found a link between taking Seroquel and developing diabetes and other blood-sugar disorders.
Risperdal, Zyprexa, and Abilify are brand names of other atypical antipsychotics.
Many doctors prescribe Seroquel to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, restless legs syndrome, autism, and other uses that have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. Doctors are allowed by law to prescribe approved drugs for off-label uses, but drug companies cannot market or promote their drugs for treating conditions that have not gained FDA approvals.
Suit Alleges Improper Marketing of Seroquel
Peters’ lawsuit alleges the makers of Seroquel pushed the drug by claiming it had fewer side effects than other drugs and offered doctors financial kickbacks for boosting prescriptions of the drug.
“These marketing efforts were designed and implemented to create the impression in physicians’, patients’ and plaintiff’s minds that Seroquel was safe and effective and that it carried less risk of side effects and adverse reactions than other available treatments,” the lawsuit states.
Peters said by 2003, AstraZeneca had received 69 reports of Seroquel users developing diabetes but failed to warn users.
“The use of Seroquel was known by the AstraZeneca Defendants to cause serious and sometimes fatal injuries including, but not limited to, keotacidosis, pancreatitis and diabetic mellitus, and other serious health problems associated with diabetes including heart disease, blindness, coma, seizures and death,” her lawsuit states, according to the Record.
Peters says if she had known about diabetes and all the risks associated with Seroquel, she would not have taken it. While U.S. consumers were not warned about the increased risk of diabetes, Japanese patients were given notice through different labels put on Seroquel in that country, her lawsuit states.
Lawsuit Seeks Damages
Peters’ lawsuit alleges fraud, fraudulent concealment, negligence and recklessness, negligence per se, negligent misrepresentations, failure to warn, defective design, breach of express and implied warranty, unjust enrichment, and violations of consumer protection laws.
She is seeking damages for pain, suffering, emotional distress, anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, economic loss, pre and post-judgment interest, and attorney’s fees, the Record reports.
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Seroquel made my daughter delirious. These antipsychotics are not well uderstood and have different effects on different people. Another woman I know described the effects of seroquel on her son as being diabolical. They should be used, if at all, with extreme caution and ab andoned when they result in anything other than a great improvement in the patients’ wellbeing.