A U.S. district court has dismissed a shareholder lawsuit brought against Sanofi-Aventis in 2007. U.S. regulators rejected the diet drug Zimulti in June 2007, citing concerns over psychiatric side effects such as suicidal behavior and depression. Investors claimed the drugmaker failed to fully disclose trial data that linked the drug with such disorders. The presiding judge dismissed the class-action lawsuit with prejudice, explaining that investors failed to state an actionable claim.
Zimulti had been marketed as Acomplia in 18 European countries since 2006, but was pulled from European markets in October 2008 after an EMEA panel recommended sales be suspended. The committee found that the risks associated with the drug outweighed the benefit as the drug doubled the risk of psychiatric disorders.
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