Plaintiffs' Experts Can Extrapolate on PPA's Ability to Cause Ischemic Strokes and Affect Men

PHILADELPHIA - A Pennsylvania state judge ruled that experts testifying on behalf of individuals who allegedly suffered strokes after using PPA-containing products can extrapolate from existing scientific evidence regarding the substance's effects on various sub-populations. In re: Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Litigation, No. 010900001 (Pa. Ct. Comm. Pleas, Phila. Cty.).

In an opinion penned Sept. 2 by Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Norman Ackerman, extrapolation, a method in which researchers take the findings of published studies and postulate that the same effect will occur in different groups, is admissible under the requirements established in Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 …