Prempro Side Effects Found to be Cause of Plaintiff’s Breast Cancer

A Philadelphia jury has ruled that side effects of Prempro, a hormone-replacement therapy drug manufactured by Wyeth, were a proximate cause of an Illinois woman’s breast cancer and determined that she should be awarded $3.7 million for her damages. The second phase of the trial, where it will be determined whether Wyeth was negligent and is responsible to pay the damages, is scheduled to begin later this week.

The Prempro lawsuit is one of about 9,000 similar claims that allege the drug maker failed to adequately warn about the risk of invasive breast cancer from hormone replacement therapies. The plaintiff, 64-year-old Connie Barton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 after taking Prempro for five years to treat menopause symptoms.

After determining that Prempro was a cause of Barton’s breast cancer and determining the compensatory damages she would be entitled to, the liability and punitive damages phase of the trial will begin in the Court of Common Please in Philadelphia on October 1, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involves the use of hormones and progestins to artificially boost hormone levels in women undergoing menopause due to surgery or in postmenopausal women, to provide relief from symptoms such as hot flashes, irregular menstruation or weight gain.

Wyeth has faced at least eight HRT trials since 2006, and lost five of those cases. Bloomberg News indicates that this would be the drug maker’s third loss in a row.

In 2002 the National Institutes of Health released the results of studies that found that women receiving HRT were at higher risk of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks. The studies, part of the Women’s Health Initiative, sparked most of the breast cancer lawsuits currently against the company.

Wyeth’s Prempro and its other major HRT drug, Premarin, have been used by at least 6 million women worldwide. Last year, Prempro generated more than $1 billion in sales.