Law Firm Investigates Link Between AstraZeneca’s Seroquel and Diabetes

Manhattan personal injury law firm Weitz & Luxenberg has been investigating the link between the atypical antipsychotic drug Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) and its apparent link to diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and other serious diabetes-related conditions.

Paul Pennock, head of Weitz & Luxenberg's drug and medical device litigation unit, says, "Weitz & Luxenberg is aggressively investigating the link between Seroquel and diabetes. We have received a flood of inquiries from concerned individuals."

Seroquel, manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, had over $2 billion in sales in the year 2004. Hundreds of thousands of Americans trust Seroquel to help them treat the symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and sleep disorders, though the FDA has only approved it for the treatment of bipolar mania and schizophrenia.

In April of 2004, AstraZeneca released a ‘dear doctor’ letter, stating, in part, “hyperglycemia, in some cases extreme and associated with ketoacidosis or
hyperosmolar coma or death, has been reported in patients treated with atypical
antipsychotics, including Seroquel… [E]pidemiological studies suggest an increased risk of treatment-emergent hyperglycemia-related adverse events in patients treated
with the atypical antipsychotics.”

Weitz & Luxenberg is looking into what AstraZeneca knew about Seroquel’s link to diabetic conditions and when they knew it. Additionally, the firm is investigating if AstraZeneca failed to tell the FDA and Seroquel users about its potential dangers in a timely fashion.

Weitz & Luxenberg represents numerous individuals who have serious injuries potentially linked to their Seroquel use. These injuries include pancreatitis, diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and in severe cases, diabetic coma and death.

Attorney David Rosenband of Weitz & Luxenberg describes diabetes as “a debilitating, deadly disease.” Seroquel users might first notice medical problems involving significant weight gain of anywhere from ten to 100 pounds. This weight gain may be a warning sign of a much more serious medical condition – the onset of diabetes.

Weitz & Luxenberg has gained national prominence representing hundreds of victims of another atypical antipsychotic, Zyprexa, which also has a diabetes link. The firm is currently on the Plaintiff's Steering Committee in the federal MDL and was part of a team of law firms that secured a $700,000,000 settlement for approximately 8,000 cases against Eli Lilly, Zyprexa’s manufacturer, for allegations that Zyprexa caused them to develop diabetes and diabetes-related injuries.

Weitz & Luxenberg is seeking to accept cases from otherwise healthy individuals who have taken Seroquel and then developed diabetes or diabetes-related conditions.

People who have been injured by Seroquel can contact Weitz & Luxenberg. Interested parties should call the Client Relations Department at 1 (800) 476-6070, email clientrelations@weitzlux.com, and view the firm's corporate website at http://www.weitzlux.com.