Abbott Ordered to Turn Over E-mails in Government Probe

Looking into whether the drugmaker illegally marketed a neurological drug
April 13, 2010

A federal judge has ordered Abbott Laboratories to hand over thousands of e-mails in connection with a government investigation into whether the drugmaker illegally marketed a neurological drug.

Abbott has refused two subpoena requests from the attorney general for the Western District of Virginia, calling the request "overly burdensome." The attorney general requested all e-mails by three executives, including Chief Executive Miles White, sent between 1996 and 2008.

The attorney general is investigating whether Abbott promoted its anti-seizure drug Depakote for aggression in seniors, an unapproved use.

U.S. judge Samuel Wilson rejected Abbott's arguments in documents posted online, and ordered the company to produce the e-mails.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

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