An April 1 court order disclosed that Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals have agreed to settle 76 Topamax cases brought in a Pennsylvania state court.  Topamax is approved by the FDA for the treatment of epilepsy and the prevention of migraines in adults and adolescents.  The lawsuits allege that Topamax caused birth defects including cleft palettes and other malformations in children born to women taking the epilepsy drug.  Details of the settlements were not disclosed by the court. The settlements follow three multi-million dollar awards against J&J of $4 million in October 2013, $11 million in November 2013, and $3 million in March 2014.  Although the settled cases were removed from the docket, about 60 Topamax cases remain with the state court.  Read more about Topamax lawsuits.
[1] In Re Topamax Litigation, 110602131, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. successfully finalized a $142.1 damages verdict against Pfizer for off-label promotion of the anti-seizure medication Neurontin.  The case was part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (In re Neurontin Marketing, Sales Practice and Product Liability Litigation, MDL-1629) which included third-party payer suits and personal injury lawsuits alleging suicide, attempted suicide and other personal injuries as a result of use of Neurontin.  The verdict was  affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in April.  This month, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Pfizer's petition for certiorari, effectively finalizing  the verdict.