Originally Published IVD Technology July/August 2001
Industry News
Jury clears Abbott of design negligence
A jury recently delivered a verdict in favor of Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL) in a lawsuit involving the company's Beta hCG pregnancy test. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed that false-positives from Abbott's AxSym Beta hCG blood-serum test, approved only for the early detection of pregnancy, led to an improper diagnosis of cancer and subsequent unnecessary treatment. The jury found that Abbott's test was not defectively designed, but that the University of Washington (Seattle) and various doctors involved were negligent in treating the plaintiff, and that Abbott was negligent in not sufficiently warning users about the possibility of false-positive results.
"We're very gratified that the jury upheld the safety and integrity of the AxSym Beta hCG test," says Brad Keller, trial lawyer for Abbott. "Used properly, this test is highly reliable and a very valuable asset in protecting the health of patients."
Abbott disagrees with the jury's finding regarding its negligent conduct in issuing warnings, and will appeal the verdict.—Flora Nguyen
Copyright ©2001 IVD Technology
