CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Wyeth and Pfizer were sued Tuesday by
Nevada's attorney general for alleged deceptive trade practices in
selling four hormone therapy drugs.

The lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas contends that Nevada consumers and doctors were misled about the safety and efficacy of Premarin, Prempro and Premphase, sold by Wyeth, and Pfizer's Provera.

"When drug companies purposefully misrepresent the safety and efficacy of their drugs, or promote their drugs in a deceptive way, everybody loses," Attorney General Cortez Masto stated. "We're confident we have the facts necessary to prove this case, and we
hope this lawsuit and its outcome will deter improper drug company
practices in Nevada."

The suit contends that Wyeth and Pfizer intentionally minimized the risks and exaggerated the benefits of their hormone therapy drugs, resulting in over-prescribing and a dramatic increase in hormone-positive breast cancers in post-menopausal women.

Masto is working with two private law firms that have been litigating similar cases for several years. One of those cases led to a $58 million award that Wyeth was ordered to pay three Nevada women who claimed that Prempro caused their breast cancer. Wyeth appealed that verdict.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)