Wyeth's Prempro
Chalk another victory up for consumers against Wyeth's marketing juggernaut. A Reno, Nevada jury found Wyeth's Prempro, a hormone-replacement drug, responsible for causing breast cancer in three woman who sued the giant pharmaceuticial manufacturer for damages. After a four-week trial, the jury said Premarin, an estrogen replacement, and Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progestin, were defective products and found Wyeth was negligent in producing, marketing and selling the drugs. The jury further orded Wyeth to pay each of the women plaintiffs $43 million in damages. Fellow Texan, Zoe Littlepage led the plaintiffs to victory.
Wyeth faces thousands of Prempro suits across the country. The Reno verdict is the seventh since trials began last year. Since deciding to make every plaintiff hear from a jury what her case is worth, Wyeth has forced a verdict seven times. In the previous six trials, three times a jury has come back in favor of Wyeth and three times in favor of the plaintiffs; one of the plaintiffs' verdicts was overturned and judgment entered in favor of Wyeth. The plaintiffs' verdicts in the remaining two trials were thrown out and new trials ordered.
Below is the full WSJ article of today.
www.ReyesLaw.com
Below is the full WSJ article of today.
Wyeth Penalized $134.5 Million In Hormone-Replacement Verdict©2007 Angel Reyes
By SARAH RUBENSTEIN
October 11, 2007 11:30 a.m.
A jury in Reno, Nev., decided Wyeth should pay $134.5 million to three women who claimed their breast cancer was caused by company-made drugs used in their hormone-replacement therapy.
Jurors awarded the compensatory damages to plaintiffs Arlene Rowatt, Jeraldine Scofield and Pamela Forrester. A hearing on punitive damages is scheduled for Friday morning.
The Washoe County District Court suit is one of 5,300 hormone-replacement cases filed against Wyeth on behalf of 7,900 plaintiffs, according to the pharmaceutical maker. It is the seventh to reach a verdict since trials began last year. Three of the other six trials resulted in verdicts in favor of Wyeth; one of the plaintiffs' verdicts was overturned and judgment entered in favor of Wyeth; and the plaintiffs' verdicts in the remaining two trials were thrown out and new trials ordered.
Three other cases have been dismissed by courts on summary judgment and a dozen other trial-set cases have been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs before trial.
The cases allege injury as a result of the plaintiffs' use of one or more of the Wyeth's hormone or estrogen therapy products, including Prempro and Premarin, used to treat menopausal symptoms.
A Wyeth spokesman declined to comment on the Reno verdict. Lawyers for the Madison, N.J., drug maker have argued that the company clearly warned users that there was a slightly increased risk of breast cancer from taking Prempro, which was first marketed in 1995. In a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it hasn't established any litigation reserve fund for its hormone-therapy litigation.
www.ReyesLaw.com
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This just proves that women need to stay informed and educated on what they put into their bodies!
www.premproadvisor.com