Judge Tosses Trileptal Defect Claims Against Novartis

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An Ohio federal judge has dismissed state-law claims of strict liability brought against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. in connection with its anti-seizure drug Trileptal, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to state plausible claims for relief. Frey v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., et al., No. C-1-07-317 (S.D. Ohio).

On July 23, Judge Herman J. Weber of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled that plaintiffs "simply provided a formulaic recitation of the elements of a claim" under the Ohio statutes and failed to allege facts that would enable the court to conclude that there was a …