AstraZeneca Plc can’t block testimony by a medical expert that its antipsychotic Seroquel can cause weight gain and diabetes, a federal judge ruled.
The witness, Donna Arnett, professor and chairwoman of the epidemiology department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, contends that Seroquel causes metabolic changes, which can lead to diabetes without weight gain. She also contends metabolic risks occur with Seroquel throughout treatment, according to court papers.
AstraZeneca, based in London, sought to have Arnett disqualified, saying she cherry-picked data favorable to her opinion. U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway said yesterday that Arnett will be allowed to testify in Seroquel trials, with a jury deciding whether her conclusions are credible.
“The admissibility of Dr. Arnett’s general causation testimony is a close question,” Conway said in her 39-page decision. “The court finds that any weaknesses in Dr. Arnett’s methodology bear on the weight of her testimony, not its ultimate admissibility.”
The decision will apply to about 6,000 cases pending in federal court in Orlando, Florida, said plaintiffs’ attorney Paul Pennock.
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