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Biotech / Medical : PFE (Pfizer) How high will it go? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Lamb who wrote (4399)	7/16/1998 8:08:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9523

Jim & all, Reuters newswire on the lawsuit: Thursday July 16 6:37 PM EDT Man sues, claiming Viagra caused heart attack By Jeanne King NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York man Thursday became the first user of Viagra to sue manufacturer Pfizer Inc., claiming the anti-impotency drug caused him to suffer a heart attack. In a $85 million lawsuit, Diego Padro, a retired owner of a commercial photo laboratory, said he had the heart attack May 26 after taking the highly popular blue pills about four times over five days. Pfizer said in a statement that it had not received the complaint and could not comment on the allegations but would "defend this lawsuit completely." A spokesman for Pfizer and Padro's lawyer said the lawsuit was the first filed against the company since Viagra went on sale in April amid heavy media coverage. Other lawsuits in the United States have involved men who sued health insurance providers for refusing to cover the cost of Viagra or disputes between lovers. Padro, 63, said at a news conference that a month before his heart attack, he had an electrocardiogram and took a treadmill stress test in anticipation of starting an exercise program and was given a clean bill of health. He said he was suing Pfizer because he wanted the drug to be taken off the market. "No one needs to improve their sex life to die for it. I'm very fearful of having another heart attack. I regret I ever heard of it," said Padro, who told reporters his impotency stemmed from diabetes diagnosed in 1996. He said his doctor gave him a free sample bottle of 15 pills in May. The doctor, whom Padro is not suing, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Padro said his doctor gave him the pills at his request and he never specifically asked the doctor whether they could have any side effects. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges that Pfizer "knew or should have known ... that Viagra is an unreasonably dangerous product ... and that a significant portion of the users were older men ... who were subject to a significant risk of serious side effects including ... heart attack and death." Pfizer estimates that 2 million men have tried Viagra in the three months it has been on the market. There have been about 30 reported deaths of men who took Viagra, although the makers and the medical experts -- including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- say there is no proof the drug caused the deaths. They warn against taking Viagra with certain heart drugs and note that sex is a strenuous activity that can trigger a heart attack in some men. "Viagra was extensively studied by Pfizer and subjected to a rigorous review process by the (FDA)," the company's statement said. "Viagra is a safe and effective medicine for erectile dysfunction when used as recommended in the approved package insert." Padro, who lives in the New York borough of Queens, accused Pfizer of aggressively marketing and selling Viagra and "placing profit concerns over and above the safety of the public." He is seeking $20 million in compensatory damages and $60 million in punitive damages. His wife of 33 years, Maria, is claiming $5 million for deprivation of services. ^REUTERS@