Drug co. must pay victim

Press, 27 February 1981, Page 6

Drug co. must pay victim

NZPA New York A New York State Appeals Court has upheld a $500,000 award against Eli Lilly and Company, a company that manufactured DES, the synthetic estrogen drug linked to cancer in some women whose mothers took it during pregnancy. The decision could pave the way for hundreds of such lawsuits nationwide, according to * laywer for the plaintiff. The court unanimously affirmed a Bronx jury’s decision to award Joyce Bidder, aged 27, of San Francisco, damagers totalling $500,000 in her suit against the company, brought to court as a representative of the drug industry. During a five-week trial in 1979, it was never proved that the Indianapolis based concern made the pills Miss Bichler’s mother took during pregnancy. Miss Bichler contended the pills caused her to suffer cancer at the age of 18 and require a radical hyste-

rfictomy to remove her can. serous reproductive organs. The 1979 lower-court ver. diet found that all producers; of DES — or diethylstilbest* rol, a synthetic hormone once used to prevent miscarriages —- shared response bility for adequate drug tes* ting.

The drug was given to pregnant women in the 1940 s and 19505. Miss Bichler’s mother took the drug for'a period of three weeks in 1953.

In 1971, a link between ' the drug and cancer in the reproductive organs of the ■ daughters of the women who j took it was found. It alsqi was determined that DESi was ineffective in preventing ;■ miscarriages. Last year it was estimated j that in the United States 68 1 women had died and hun< dreds more had suffered! serious effects from the 1 drug. New Zealand doctors were quoted then as saying! that no cases had been found in New Zealand so far.