Recent Preemption Ruling: Wait For Levine
A recent trial court decision shows the state of flux in applying the preemption doctrine in pharmaceutical cases. In the Celexa/ Lexapro MDL, the court denied without prejudice the defendant’s preemption motion, to allow further discovery and expressly because the United States Supreme Court has granted certiorari in Levine v. Wyeth, 128 S.Ct. 1118 (2008), to consider the extent to which prescription drug labeling judgments imposed on manufacturers by the FDA, pursuant to FDA's comprehensive safety and efficacy authority under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, preempt state law product liability claims premised on the theory that different labeling judgments were necessary to make drugs reasonably safe for use. See In re Celexa and Lexapro Products Liability Litigation, 2008 WL 2906713 (E.D.Mo. July 24, 2008), found here.
