Philadelphia Juries Award over $100 Million in Hormone Replacement Therapy Cases
The drug manufacturers Pfizer and Wyeth (which is now part of Pfizer) were ordered by two Philadelphia juries to pay over $100 million in punitive damages to two women who were prescribed the hormone replacement drug (HRT) Prempro. Attorneys for plaintiffs alleged that this dangerous drug caused their clients to develop breast cancer and as a result had mastectomies performed. The defendants were found negligent in failing to warn patients and their doctors of the serious health risks while taking HRT.
Donna Kendall of Decatur, Illinois was awarded $6.3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $28 million in punitive damages. Connie Barton, also of Illinois was awarded $3.5 million in compensatory damages and an additional $75 million in punitive damages. Plaintiffs proved that Pfizer/Wyeth knew of the serious risks of its drug but failed to disclose these risks to patients and their prescribing doctors.
There are over one thousand hormone replacement therapy cases in the Philadelphia court system and all five that have gone to trial in the past three years have resulted in plaintiff's verdicts. Philadelphia juries are clearly outraged that Pfizer/Wyeth put profits over the safety of women's health. Plaintiffs assert that the drug manufacturer did not conduct adequate studies that would have revealed the breast cancer risk because the HRT drugs were producing revenues in excess of $2 billion annually.
Over six million women take HRT drugs to treat their menopause symptoms such as mood swings, night sweats, and hot flashes. Currently Pfizer is not seeking a global settlement. Plaintiff attorneys have been working hard to consolidate cases to ensure that all clients have their day in court.
