Lilly Denied Summary Judgment on Warning Claims in California Cymbalta Cases

LOS ANGELES — A California federal judge has denied Eli Lilly & Co.’s motion for summary judgment on warning-based claims in two separate Cymbalta actions, finding the plaintiffs have established a question of fact as to whether a stronger warning would have prevented their doctors from prescribing the drug.

In the June 19 order, Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California noted that the plaintiffs have submitted allegedly new evidence that raises questions as to whether Lilly deliberately designed Cymbalta’s clinical trials in a way calculated to under-report the risk of discontinuation …