Abbott Labs Ordered to Produce Literature ASAP in Depakote Birth Defect Cases

BENTON, Ill. — An Illinois federal magistrate judge has ordered Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) to produce medical literature “as soon as possible” in actions alleging birth defects caused by the antiepileptic drug Depakote, noting the documents are “long overdue.”

On Dec. 16, Judge Stephen C. Williams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois also ordered the drug maker to produce custodial files, explaining that the deadline for production of these files has passed.

In these three actions, plaintiffs allege personal injuries on behalf of children who developed birth defects in utero as a result of their …