Foreign Aredia Zometa Cases Dismissed for Lack of Product ID

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A federal judge has dismissed nearly a half dozen Aredia and Zometa cases from foreign plaintiffs who could not show that the drugs' manufacturer distributed or advertised in their respective countries. In Re: Aredia and Zometa Products Liability Litigation, No. 06-1760 (M.D. Tenn.).

Judge Todd J. Campbell ordered the cases dismissed from the Aredia/Zometa MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, rejecting a last-ditch effort by plaintiffs to conduct discovery into whether Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. manufactured the drugs that allegedly caused their injuries.

"Plaintiffs did not need formal discovery in order to …