Wyeth says that a US judge has ruled in its favour in another lawsuit in which the plaintiffs claimed they had suffered heart valve damage as a result of taking the company’s withdrawn diet drug, Pondimin (fenfluramine).
Wyeth said that even though the jury ruled that the company could be liable for up to $5.5 million dollars in potential damages during the first phase of this two-phase trial [[01/04/05d]], the court ruling means that the firm has no liability in this case.
As well as alleging heart valve injury, the plaintiffs also asserted that Wyeth had been negligent in the information it provided about the risks and benefits of Pondimin prior to its withdrawal in 1997. The US firm is facing an overwhelming tide of lawsuits following the global withdrawal of Pondimin and Redux (dexfenfluramine). Last month, it agreed an amendment to the terms of a national settlement, which will entitle the least serious claims to a share of a $1.275 billion dollar fund [[16/03/05b]].
