SCOTUS won't look at Wyeth HRT case

The U.S. Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from Pfizer's Wyeth unit of a ruling in a Nevada hormone-therapy lawsuit. The case involved three women who claimed they developed breast cancer after using Wyeth's Premarin and Prempro. They were awarded $58 million as a result.

Despite Wyeth's argument that the jury in Wyeth v. Scofield was biased against the company, the Supreme Court won't consider the case. Initially, the jury awarded the women $134 million, but the presiding judge said the size of the award was excessive and reduced it to $58 million. While arguing in front of the Supreme Court, lawyers for the company maintained the judge should have ordered a new trial instead of reducing the award. The company also contended the jury was influenced by an "improper and inflammatory" closing argument by the women's lawyer, as Bloomberg notes.

Pfizer has settled a third of the pending cases over its Prempro. Last month, it said it had set aside $772 million to resolve claims over the medicine, according to Bloomberg.

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