Philadelphia Diet Drug Trial Finishes First Phase
May 19, 2005Wyeth announced today that the cases of Jolene Johnson v. Wyeth, Louise Miller v. Wyeth and Nancy McCullough v. Wyeth in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas will continue to the second, liability phase following today's jury decision in the first phase of the trial. During the first part of this bifurcated (two-phase) trial, the jury assessed damages of $280,000 for Ms. McCullough; $260,000 for Ms. Johnson; and $200,000 for Ms. Miller. The next phase of the trial will determine if Wyeth is liable and will be required to pay those damages. It is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 24.
The trial began on May 10, 2005 before The Honorable Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro. The plaintiffs alleged heart valve injury from the use of the diet drugs Pondimin and Redux, drugs once marketed by Wyeth.
A Philadelphia jury recently determined in a Phase II trial that Wyeth was not liable for damages it had previously awarded in the first phase of that case. In addition, a judge recently overturned a Phase II verdict for the plaintiffs in another Philadelphia case and ordered a new Phase II trial.
Wyeth is one of the world's largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products and nonprescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The Company's major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.
