Theophylline jury award
Executive Summary
A Chicago jury awarded $77.8 mil. to be paid over 53 years to the parents of a brain damaged infant who received an overdose of Bristol-Myers Squibb's theophylline Quibron liquid, and a subsequent overdose of an antidote. The ruling coincides with efforts by the American Trial Lawyers Association to publicize alleged risks of theophylline ("The Pink Sheet" Nov. 5, T&G-12). Plaintiff's lawyer Jerome Mirza said the 1986 suit accused Quibron of having an "unreasonably dangerous" product package insert that contained "outdated" dosing information" and "extremely excessive" maximum dosages without blood testing for children, and adequate precautionary information about infant use of the drug. BMS lawyers are examining the ruling. Marketing of Quibron liquid was discontinued last summer. Tablet formulations remain available.