Court Reinstates Rezulin Suit against Pfizer
By Elizabeth Rhein
Published on October 14, 2006
The case, originally brought to court in Michigan, stated that the diabetes drug Rezulin caused severe liver damage and other injuries in those who used it. The case was dismissed by a judge who claimed that Pfizer was shielded from the lawsuit by Michigan's product liability laws.
The reversal, issued by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, allows up to 18 Michigan plaintiffs to renew their lawsuits against Pfizer. They will join the ranks of many other patients nationwide who have filed suit against Pfizer and Warner-Lambert, the original maker of Rezulin.
The drug, originally developed to regulate insulin levels in diabetics, was found to have links to fatal forms of liver damage. It was pulled from the market by Warner-Lambert in 2000, just three months before Pfizer bought the company.
Pfizer did not provide comment immediately after the appeals court's decision.
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