AstraZeneca Defends Seroquel Weight Gain Warnings
It’s always flattering in a weird way to know that various pharma companies follow this website–AZ, Lilly, BMS, J&J, Wyeth and so on all pop in from time to time–and yesterday I got an email from Tony Jewell, a spokesman for AstraZeneca. He was responding to a post I wrote yesterday regarding AZ casting Seroquel as a “weight neutral” drug in the early years of this decade when the company had knowledge that some patients were packing on the pounds.
“Re the post below, it is important to remember that since 1997, when Seroquel was first approved, labeling has alerted physicians that ‘diabetes mellitus,’ ‘hyperglycemia’ and ‘weight gain’ had been observed in clinical trials. We have continued to update the label on these topics as the science has developed.”
I don’t know what the 2001 package insert or the 2004 insert (the year I began taking the drug) said on the matter of weight gain, but weight gain is pretty prominently featured in the current PI under “warnings and precautions” and the percent of people gaining more than 7 percent of body weight (indicator of diabetes risk) is outlined from various clinical trials.
I’m pretty damn certain that such information wasn’t in the PI in 2004 or my doctor would have alerted me about weight gain issues or I would’ve found the information myself. I doubt that the weight gain warnings were as prominent in 2004. I wish AZ had been more upfront at the time, as it would’ve saved me much trouble (not to mention tardive dyskinesia, nightmares and muscle tightening. Yes, Tony, I experienced neuroleptic malignant syndrome on Seroquel).
More to the point, however, AZ was clearly telling its sales force to tell doctors that Seroquel was weight neutral, so the fact that there was a stray notice of some kind in the PI circa 2004 about weight gain is almost meaningless.
Jim Edwards at bnet.com had some fun with AZ’s weight neutral claims yesterday.
Related posts:
- AstraZeneca Exec Was Pressed To Lie About Seroquel Weight Gain
- Seroquel Promoted As Weight Neutral When Company Knew It Produced Large Weight Gain
- JAMA Study Finds Explosive Weight Gain In Kids On Antipsychotics
- FDA Reviewers Recommend Review Of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain In Kids
- AstraZeneca Denied Seroquel Diabetes Link After Warning Of It In Japan
Posted in Furious Seasons