Can he be compelled to go all the way to Arkansas?

Bill Curtis wants to try, according to a report by Bloomberg News. He represents, Helene Rush, a woman who is suing Wyeth because she believes Prempro, Wyeth’s hormone replacement therapy, caused her to develop breast cancer.

Why Essner? Well, a document from a Prempro launch party in the late 1990’s included remarks made by Essner, who is now Wyeth’s ceo, but was a senior marketing exec at the time. He told sales reps that Wyeth was bringing about an “HRT revolution” that would allow women to remain on Prempro from menopause to death. He also said there should be “no boundaries, no limits to your selling effort.” The leaked document found its way into news stories last summer by the Associated Press and The Star-Ledger of New Jersey.

Whether Curtis will succeed is unclear. At best, he may be able to arrange a videotaped deposition, which is less exciting, but potentially just as interesting. Meanwhile, he can warm up by trying to get 13 other Wyeth folks to testify.

There are nearly 5,000 Prempro lawsuits in the wings and, for the most part, the litigation has been overshadowed by Vioxx. Until now……

[tags]Prempro, Wyeth[/tags]