An Alabama woman was awarded $9.45 million dollars in her personal injury case against Pfizer's Wyeth unit according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
With the help of her PA personal injury attorney, Esther Berezofsky, the victim received $3.25 million dollars in compensatory damages and an additional $6 million dollars in punitive damages. The lawsuit alleged that the Wyeth unit of Pfizer was responsible for the victim developing breast cancer.
The victim started taking a hormone drug called Prempro in 1997. It is a combination of the hormones progestin and estrogen that were found in the drugs Premarin and Provera. At the time, she had no signs of breast cancer. In 2002, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a study was released showing a connection between the two drugs and cancer.
At the start of 2004, the victim was diagnosed with breast cancer and she stopped taking Prempro. Luckily, her PA personal injury attorney says that as of now, the victim's cancer is in remission.
Nearly 8,000 people have since filed suit against Pfizer and Wyeth for the injuries that they allegedly sustained after taking the drugs. A large portion of the product liability cases are being filed in the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia by PA personal injury attorneys because Wyeth Ayerst International is located in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that while Pfizer has lost seven out of 10 cases that have been received by juries, two of those cases have since been overturned.
FindLaw explains that Prempro is a hormonal drug that was prescribed for menopausal women as a form of hormone replacement therapy. It was not prescribed for women who had undergone a hysterectomy.
Philadelphia has many PA personal injury attorneys who are experienced in handling product liability cases, including pharmaceutical cases.
Related Resources:
- Lawsuit Over Hormone Drug Forces Wyeth and Pfizer to Pay (FindLaw's Injured)
- Prempro - Frequently Asked Questions (FindLaw)
- Diana Levine Wins Supreme Court Case and Deals Wyeth, Drugmakers Serious Loss: Product Liability Suit Floodgates Opened? (FindLaw's Common Law)
- PA Personal Injury Attorney Directory (FindLaw)
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