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This multi-district litigation consolidated a number of pending actions against UK-based AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Seroquel, an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The plaintiffs alleged the drugmaker failed to warn users of the drug's possibly harmful side effects, including the risk of diabetes and related medical complications.
The company has been sued in U.S. courts by thousands of individuals who allege that the growth in sales of Seroquel, from $66 million in 1998 to $2.75 billion in 2005, was spurred by AstraZeneca's aggressive marketing, which "consisted chiefly of overstating the drug's uses and benefits (including massive off-label promotion), while understating and consciously concealing its life-threatening side effects."
