Jurors Can't Hear Evidence of Foreign Action on Seroquel, Judge Holds

ORLANDO, Fla. - A judge has upheld a magistrate's decision to prevent plaintiffs in upcoming Seroquel trials from introducing evidence of foreign labeling and regulatory actions concerning the drug. In Re Seroquel Products Liability Litigation, No. 06-1769 (M.D. Fla.).

Judge Anne C. Conway of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida said March 11 that the magistrate's ruling on an AstraZeneca motion to exclude the evidence from Japan, France and Holland was warranted given the potential for it to complicate the proceedings and cause juror confusion.

AstraZeneca's move to exclude the foreign materials was part of several …