Wyeth says wins Philadelphia hormone therapy trial

Last Updated: 2007-05-16 11:00:23 -0400 (Reuters Health)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wyeth said on Tuesday a jury ruled in favor of the drugmaker in a trial involving its hormone replacement therapy drugs, which have been used by millions of women to combat effects of menopause.

Wyeth faces some 5,000 lawsuits over HRT drugs Premarin and Prempro. The drugs remain on the market, even though a major government-sponsored health study found using them for five years or more can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Attorneys for Wyeth said it acted responsibly by performing and supporting studies into the known and potential benefits and risks of hormone therapy and by keeping the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, physicians and patients informed of benefits and risks.

Plaintiffs in the trial, which began on April 17 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, were Merle and Steven Simon.

In February, a different Philadelphia jury found that Prempro was a cause of a woman's breast cancer and awarded her and her husband damages of $3 million.

Additional studies have linked hormone replacement therapy with cancer, suggesting -- but not yet proving -- that HRT use causes breast and ovarian cancer.

Wyeth shares closed up 38 cents to $55.67 on the New York Stock Exchange and were unchanged following the after-hours announcement regarding the outcome of the trial.

(Additional reporting by Shikhar Balwani in Bangalore)