Reno jury awards $99 million in punitive damages in Wyeth drug case

RENO -- Jurors awarded $99 million in punitive damages Monday to three Nevada women who claimed hormone replacement drugs distributed by pharmaceutical giant Wyeth caused their breast cancer.

A Wyeth attorney called the award "an aberration" and said it would be appealed.

The Washoe County District Court jury initially issued a $134.5 million judgment against Wyeth last week, but Judge Robert Perry slashed that to $35 million after it became clear some of the jurors were under the mistaken belief that award was to include punitive damages intended to punish the company.

One of the plaintiffs said as she left the courthouse after the ruling on Monday she was ecstatic that the initial judgment was virtually reinstated.

"We prevailed, that was the important thing," said Arlene Rowatt, 67, of Incline Village, who was awarded $31 million in punitive damages Monday in addition to the $12 million she was awarded in compensatory damages last week.

The judgment is the largest award to date against the Madison, N.J.-based company, which faces about 5,300 similar lawsuits across the country in state and federal courts.

All involve the drugs Premarin, an estrogen replacement, and Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progestin. The drugs are prescribed to women to ease symptoms of menopause.

The jurors returned two hours after they began deliberations following an impassioned plea by one of the plaintiffs' lawyers to return a large enough judgment to "get the attention and hold responsible" a company with a net worth of $14.6 billion.

The new judgment alos awards $33 million to Jeraldine Scofield, 74, Fallon, who was awarded $10.5 million in compensatory damages; and $35 million to Pamela Forrester, 65, of Yerington, who was awarded $12.5 million in compensatory damages.

During the trial, Wyeth lawyers argued that the drugs were safe and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They also said information about possible risks is included with every prescription and provided to the women's doctors.

They argued that the women had other risk factors, making it impossible to link their cancer with the hormone replacement drugs.