AstraZeneca 'suppressed' drug test data on Seroquel, claims whistleblower

The former UK medical advisor at Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca for its anti-psychotic drug Seroquel (quetiapine) has told the public broadcaster the BBC that he was pressured to approve promotional material which said weight gain associated with use of the drug was not an issue.

AstraZeneca, which faces fresh legal action next month in the USA, said it took concerns about its conduct seriously. Thousands of patients are suing the company in US courts, claiming the anti-psychotic caused weight gain and diabetes. The patients allege Seroquel, the firm's second biggest selling drug worth $4.5 billion a year, was marketed without adequate warning about possible side effects such as massive weight gain and the development of diabetes. However, this is denied by the company.

Seroquel was launched in 1997 for treating schizophrenia and later for bipolar disorder. John Blenkinsopp, the company's former UK medical manager, claimed he was pressurized by the company's marketing arm to approve claims about the drug which he felt did not reflect the medical evidence.