Wyeth and Pfizer sued by Nevada attorney general

Wyeth and Pfizer have been sued by Nevada’s attorney general for alleged deceptive trade practices.

The accusations relate to the companies’ selling of four hormone therapy drugs, Premarin, Prempro, Premphase and Provera – which apparently misled Nevada consumers and physicians about the efficacy and safety of the products.

The lawsuit adds that Wyeth and Pfizer intentionally played down the risks and exaggerated the benefits of taking the therapies, meaning they were over-prescribed and resulted in an increase in hormone-positive breast cancers in women after menopause.

Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada attorney general, said: “When drug companies purposefully misrepresent the safety and efficacy of their drugs, or promote their drugs in a deceptive way, everybody loses.”

She added: “We’re confident we have the facts necessary to prove this case.”

Ms Masto has filed the suit with two law firms, who have been litigating similar legal action for several years.

One of the cases led to Wyeth being ordered to pay three women who claimed Prempro caused their breast cancer, which led to an appeal by the company.

Founded in 1926 under the name American Home Products Corporation, the organisation is based in Madison, US and has approximately 47,500 employees worldwide.

Wyeth operates in more than 100 countries.