Prempro Menopause Dug Side Effects Reportedly Lead to $330 Million Settlement by Pfizer

Pfizer, the country's largest drug marker, has allegedly agreed to pay roughly $330 million to resolve claims surrounding Prempro, a menopause drug that caused breast cancer in patients. This is the first large-scale settlement after eight long years of litigation, according to businessweek.com.

Sales of Prempro, which is still on the market, grossed more than $2 billion before the release of a study by the Women's Health Initiative. That analysis revealed that women who took Prempro for more than five years faced an increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Here's a video discussing Prempro side effects and the Women's Health Initiative:

Even though $330 million sounds like a lot of money, the funds will go to settle about 2,200 different lawsuits filed against Pfizer. That means the average payout to a victim is roughly $150,000. Considering that a woman who took Prempro may become diagnosed with breast cancer and potentially lose their life due to this dangerous prescription drug, $150,000 may not be a lot of money in the long-run.

But for many folks, if a company drags out litigation for years, the idea of finality and receiving some level of compensation is appealing. It is understandable. It is also extremely frustrating to know that drug companies produce these potentially life-threatening drugs and then avoid responsibility by dragging their feet in the legal process. Just think, Pfizer was forced to pay punitive damages in one of the Prempro lawsuits brought against them after the jury heard testimony that the company paid consultants and ghostwriters of medical journal articles to downplay concerns about breast cancer, according to dailyfinance.com. Simply outrageous.    

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