In two appeals that could have a huge impact on the litigation of drug product liability cases, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments this week on the issue of whether plaintiffs should be pre-empted from suing over allegedly inadequate warnings on prescription drugs because the warning labels were approved by the Food & Drug Administration.
Lower court judges have reached opposite conclusions, with U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania holding that such claims are pre-empted, and U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle in the District of New Jersey holding that they are not.
