Pfizer Wins Jury Verdict in Zoloft Case in Philadelphia

Pfizer has released the following statement regarding a jury verdict in favoir of the company in Robinson
v. Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. et al., a case involving claims related to Zoloft (sertraline HCI). The case is before the Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County.

“While we have great sympathy for families affected by birth defects, this verdict affirms that the Zoloft label contains adequate, science-based information on the benefits and risks of the medicine. A range of independent expert organizations, such as the American Psychiatric Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Heart Association, have found that Zoloft’s use during
pregnancy is not associated with birth defects.

“Of note, this is the second jury to find in favour of Pfizer in the Zoloft litigation. In the first Zoloft case to reach the trial phase, a Missouri jury found Pfizer not liable after hearing many of the same expert theories presented by the plaintiffs in Robinson.

“Zoloft is an FDA-approved medicine for the treatment of depression and other psychiatric conditions that has been used by millions of patients, including pregnant women. There is extensive science supporting the safety and efficacy of Zoloft, and the medicine carries accurate, science-based and FDA-approved information on its benefits and risks. In December 2011, the FDA issued further guidance regarding all SSRIs, the class of anti-depressants that includes Zoloft, advising health care professionals ‘not to alter their current clinical practice of treating depression during pregnancy.’ The c ompany stands by Zoloft, and we intend to vigorously defend it.”