Pfizer Said to Settle Neurontin Suicide Lawsuit for $400,000

Pfizer Said to Settle Neurontin Suicide Lawsuit for $400,000

By Jef Feeley

April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Pfizer Inc. settled a lawsuit mid- trial in which the family of a Massachusetts man who used its Neurontin epilepsy medicine alleged the drug helped cause his suicide, two people familiar with accord said.

Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, agreed late today to resolve claims by Hartley Shearer’s family that Pfizer’s Warner- Lambert unit knew Neurontin posed a suicide risk in some users and failed to disclose it to patients and doctors, according to the people, who declined to be identified because the deal isn’t public. The company will pay about $400,000, the first settlement of suicide claims tied to Neurontin, two of the people said.

Shearer’s wife and son sued the New York-based drug company in federal court in Boston. Rob Haralson, a Pfizer spokesman, declined to immediately comment. Ron Rosenkranz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, declined to comment.

Pfizer faces more than 1,000 lawsuits accusing it of illegally promoting Neurontin for unapproved uses and helping to cause some users’ suicides. The settlement comes a week after another Boston jury ordered Pfizer to pay more than $140 million in damages to an insurer over the drug. Pfizer has denied any wrongdoing.

The Shearer case is Shearer v. Pfizer Inc., 07-cv-11428- PBS, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston).

To contact the reporters on this story: Jef Feeley in Boston federal court at jfeeley@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 1, 2010 22:20 EDT

via bloomberg.com

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