
AstraZeneca may have to pay as much as $1.2 billion in costs related to US lawsuits filed against the company over
Seroquel (quetiapine), including more than $500 million as part of a deal to settle an investigation into the company's marketing of the drug, the Financial Times reported. The paper also noted that the company is facing class actions in Canada.
The Financial Times also said that as of the end of 2009, AstraZeneca had incurred legal costs of $656 million related to around 10 000 lawsuits the company is defending in the US over claims that Seroquel caused harmful side effects.
Commenting on the release of internal documents as part of the proceedings that suggested the drugmaker withheld information related to Seroquel’s side effects, CEO David Brennan said: "Our position is that we acted ethically throughout and will vigorously defend these lawsuits."
