Novartis Granted Summary Judgment in Aredia/Zometa ONJ Case

SPOKANE, Wash. – After excluding the causation testimony of five treating physicians and a retained expert on causation, a Washington federal judge has granted Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. summary judgment in an Aredia/Zometa injury case, finding no genuine issue of material fact on the causation issue.

On Oct. 1, Judge Thomas O. Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington ruled that there is no affirmative evidence in the record that Aredia and Zometa caused the plaintiff’s osteonecrosis of the jaw.

In 2007, Duane Luttrell sued Novartis in the Eastern District of Washington, alleging that Aredia …