Court Says Data Contrasting Sedative Risk Justified Jury Instruction

ST. LOUIS - A state appeals court has affirmed a verdict in favor of a drug manufacturer accused of failing to warn the parents of a toddler that a sedative the child ingested had previously been shown to cause death in pediatric patients. Meyer v. AstraZeneca, No. ED87782 (Mo. Ct. App., Eastern Dist.).

The Eastern District Missouri Court of Appeals ruled March 27 that an instruction given to jurors at the conclusion of the trial was supported by substantial evidence of known adverse side effects associated with Diprivan, a drug sold by AstraZeneca predecessor ICI Pharmaceuticals.

According to a lawsuit …