Settlement Up to $10M Tentatively Approved In Missouri Celexa, Lexapro Consumer Suit

A consumer settlement that could reach $10.35 million garnered tentative approval in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts March 14 in a certified class suit by Missouri plaintiffs alleging Forest Laboratories and Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. misrepresented the efficacy of Celexa and Lexapro at treating depression in adolescents and children (In re Celexa and Lexapro Mkg. and Sales Prac. Litig., D. Mass., No. 09-02067).

According to plaintiffs Ruth Dunham and Tanya Shippy, the defendants (collectively, Forest) deprived consumers and physicians of the ability to make an informed decision about whether to purchase or prescribe the drugs. ...