Court Affirms Pain Patch Ruling in Favor of ALZA, Janssen, Wal-Mart

MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota appellate court has affirmed a ruling in favor of ALZA Corp., Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and others in a Duragesic pain patch lawsuit, ruling that plaintiffs failed to prove that a defective patch caused the 2004 death of a woman. Hautala, et al. v. Alza Corp., et al., No. A08-0915 (Minn. App.).

The Minnesota Court of Appeals on June 2 also agreed with the lower court's decision that defendants' expert affidavit failed to meet the requirements of the expert-disclosure statute.

Decedent Sandy Smith had a history of shoulder and neck pain. Due to concerns …