Wyeth and Pfizer, the 2 leading manufactures of hormone drugs, were sued earlier this week by Nevada’s attorney general for alleged deceptive trade practices. The attorney general alleges that these drug makers deceptively misled Nevada consumers and physicians about the safety and efficacy of Premarin, Prempro and Premphase sold by Wyeth, and Pfizer’s Provera. They are hormone replacement drugs commonly used by women to counter the effect of menopause.
The lawsuit claims that these pharmaceutical companies intentionally minimized the risks and exaggerated the benefits of these drugs, resulting in over-prescribing and a dramatic increase in hormone-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women. According to Attorney General Cortez Masto, everybody loses when drug companies purposefully misrepresent the safety and efficacy of their drugs, or promote their drugs in a deceptive way. Masto is confident they have the facts necessary to make its case, and hopes that this lawsuit and its outcome will deter improper drug company practices in Nevada.
Masto is currently working in conjunction with two private law firms that have been litigating similar cases for several years. One of those cases led to a $58 million award that Wyeth was ordered to pay 3 Nevada women who claimed that Prempro caused their breast cancer.
If you or a loved one have been hurt by one of these drugs, please let us know if we can be of help.
