Sarah Audu: 'I could be on diabetes medication for the rest of my life... I was not warned of the side effects properly'
AstraZeneca Seroquel Lawsuits starting in UK - the anti-psychotic turned antidepressant causing diabetes
I came across this interesting article today in the London Evening Standard .
One must take into account that the UK judicial system is much different than in the USA. From my limited understanding it is much more difficult to bring product liability litigation against criminal corporations like AstraZeneca across the pond.
What I found truly shocking is how at the end of the article the UK government and AstraZeneca once again arrogantly deny the direct connection between Seroquel and Diabetes.
I guess they don't read their own warning labels now a days. The whole argument used in this article that every drug has side effects is completely ludicrous in the case of drugs like seroquel; since these drugs have never been proven to be significantly effective in their treatment claims, as they were approved & marketed with false, tainted, and misleading information which attempted to bury and conceal the many serious inherent risk associated with their use. Quite simply, the health risk in each and every case far outweigh the benefits of the drug seroquel.
I wish Sarah Audu much success in her lawsuit, and hope thousands of UK victims of Seroquel join her in this legal action against AstraZeneca. The completely ignorant policies that have been adopted by UK governmental health regulatory bodies must be rectified in the interest of public safety. It appears the reach of criminal corporate corruption have no borders in these modern times.
As many more Seroquel litigants in the USA make a stand against injustice by refusing the AstraZeneca insulting settlement offer: we can find some measure of solace in fact that AstraZeneca's criminal lies are becoming common public knowledge that will hang heavily over this horribly irresponsible corporation for many decades to come.
After all, "Doing the Right Thing" has it's inherent benefits; for it strengthens our hearts, fertilizes our souls, and renews our human spirit for the greater good of all mankind.
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Trainee lawyer: I'll sue over depression drug that gave me diabetes
by Laura Roberts
25 Jul 2011
A woman who was prescribed a drug to overcome depression today claimed it caused her to develop diabetes.
Seroquel contains the antipsychotic Quetiapine and is used to treat schizophrenia and severe depression.
Ms Audu, a trainee lawyer from New Southgate, hopes to sue the drug's maker, AstraZeneca. The company settled a major US lawsuit out of court last year, paying £128.5 million to thousands of American patients who suffered severe weight gain and developed diabetes while on the drug.
Ms Audu is looking for other patients who may have suffered side effects after taking Seroquel to join her in a legal action in the UK.
She believes that she developed diabetes as a result of her weight gain while on the medication. "When I came off the drug I started losing a pound of weight a day," she said. "Every two weeks I was losing a stone. The desire to eat sweet things just left. I'm now down to 10-11 stone.
"I could be on diabetes medication for the rest of my life. It's a horrible, unnecessary condition to have for someone who is already not feeling very well. I had no history of diabetes in my family. I was not warned of the possible side effects properly."
In September last year the European Commission approved Seroquel for major depressive episodes where antidepressants have not worked. It has been licensed in the UK since 1997.
A spokesman for Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it monitored suspected "adverse drug reactions".
He said: "All medicines have side effects - no effective medicine is without risk. The benefits for Seroquel outweigh its risks and it remains an important drug in treating mental illness.
"Weight gain and diabetes are already recognised side effects that are clearly listed within the prescribing information."
AstraZeneca said it "remains confident in the safety and efficacy profile of Seroquel". A spokeswoman added: "Weight gain has been observed in some patients in clinical trials and that information has been reflected in the UK product label since its launch.
"Seroquel has been used by millions of patients around the world, and as more has been learned about Seroquel this labelling information has been updated.
"The heart of the product liability cases in the US and Canada are unproven claims that Seroquel caused diabetes in individual patients."
thank you for the information on your blog!! very helpful and great that someone cares, thanks.
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