Seroquel

quetiapine fumarate

Seroquel (generic name: quetiapine) is an antipsychotic medication manufactured by Astra Zeneca prescribed for the management of the symptoms of schizophrenia and manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder, such as hallucinations, delusions or mental preoccupations beyond the control of a patient. It also is prescribed “off-label,” that is, for conditions beyond its original approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Some of the other conditions Seroquel is often prescribed to treat include:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Anxiety disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder

How does Seroquel work?

Like many of the “super drugs” manufactured and marketed by pharmaceutical companies, the exact mechanism that enables Seroquel to work for schizophrenic patients is not known. Seroquel targets specific areas of the brain that secrete the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that regulate the nervous system’s response to environmental stimuli. Certain mental disorders may be caused by excessive levels of these chemicals. Seroquel is said to have an “antagonistic” effect on certain dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain, allowing the chemicals to flow and function normally in the body.

Seroquel also has an antagonistic effect on the histamine receptor in the brain, producing a sedative effect. This is why Seroquel has been prescribed for insomnia and other sleep disorders, especially those associated with depression and other mental disorders.

POTENTIAL Seroquel RECALL TIMELINE

A timeline: Antipsychotic medications like Seroquel may raise death rates in elderly

June 2005 - Health Canada, the Canadian regulatory agency similar to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, issued a request to manufacturers of certain atypical antipsychotic medications to include a warning on medication labeling for elderly patients with dementia. Studies of these types of drugs, which are normally prescribed for schizophrenia, have shown elderly patients with dementia have a 1.6-times higher death rate than other elderly patients when taking the drugs Seroquel, Zyprexa, or Risperdal. While no studies were done with a similar antipsychotic, Clozaril, Health Canada requested that Clozaril’s labeling also contain the warning. Should the U.S. FDA have immediately followed Health Canada or issued a Seroquel recall? Should Canadians have filed a Seroquel lawsuit against the drug’s maker?

Sources: Anne Winstanley, Toronto 680 News, June 15, 2005; Canadian Press, June 16, 2005.

October 2005 - A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, and Abilify, drugs used to treat schizophrenia, may raise the death rates in elderly patients taking the drugs to treat dementia. These drugs are produced by some of the biggest drug companies in the world, including Eli Lilly and Company (Zyprexa), Janssen Pharmaceutical (Risperdal), AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (Seroquel), and Bristol-Myers Squibb * and *Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals (Abilify). An analysis of 15 separate drug studies and more than 5,000 patients found that 3.5 percent of those taking schizophrenia drugs for an average of eight to twelve weeks died, compared with 2.3 percent of patients on placebos. The findings came on the heels of risks first disclosed by the FDA in April 2005 concerning these drugs. Lead researcher Lon Schneider, professor of psychiatry at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, said that doctors may want to take elderly patients off these drugs more quickly if they fail to improve immediately, given the findings. Do Dr. Schneider’s suggestions warrant a Seroquel recall or would they strengthen a Seroquel lawsuit?

Source: Michelle Fay Cortez, “Lilly, J&J, AstraZeneca Dementia Drugs Boost Deaths in Study,” Bloomberg.com, October 18, 2005.

January 2007 - The FDA issued a Public Health Advisory associating the use of certain atypical antipsychotic medications in elderly patients suffering from dementia with increased mortality in those patients. Across a total of seventeen placebo-controlled trials performed with the drugs Zyprexa (olanzapine), Abilify (aripiprazole), Risperdal (risperidone) and Seroquel (quetiapine), fifteen trials showed numerical increases in mortality in the drug-treated group compared to the group treated with a placebo. Several analyses of the trial results have demonstrated an approximately 1.6 to 1.7-fold increase in mortality in these patients. Most deaths were due to heart-related events such as heart attack, heart failure or sudden cardiac death, or infections such as pneumonia. The findings prompted the agency to demand that the manufacturers of these drugs include a boxed warning in their labeling describing this risk to patients with dementia. The label also warns that Zyprexa, Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel, Clozaril, Geodon and Symbyax are not approved for the treatment of elderly dementia patients. Did the drug manufacturers know their products could be dangerous before they put them on the market? How would that information play into a Seroquel class action lawsuit?

Sources: Rob Waters, “Suit: Janssen Pharmaceutica misled Texas officials on drug,” Bloomberg News, December 29, 2006, accessed January 4, 2007; Miranda Hitti, “Invega Extended-Release Tablets Include a Newly Approved Chemical,” WebMD Medical News, December 20, 2006, accessed January 4, 2007.

Do you need a Seroquel Lawyer? – Free Call, No Obligation

If you or someone you love has been taking Seroquel, the FDA has issued new warnings about the medicine. Contact our personal injury law firm today. A consultation with a product liability lawyer may be in your best interest. If AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals knew the risks of taking Seroquel were more dangerous than it claimed, you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries you may have suffered as a result. Our lawyers are investigating the circumstances of this case. Your information will be reviewed by a lawyer who may be able to help you gain compensation from a Seroquel lawsuit.