Pfizer announced that its subsidiary, Pharmacia and Upjohn, will appeal the jury verdict linking its product, Provera, with plaintiff Merle Simon's breast cancer. The case, Simon vs. Wyeth, et al., was heard in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

"While we have great sympathy for what Simon and her family have been through, the verdict is neither supported by the evidence introduced during the trial nor by medical science," said Sandra Phillips, Pfizer's senior vice president and associate general counsel. "We believe Pharmacia and Upjohn acted responsibly with respect to Provera and we therefore intend to pursue all the legal options available to us to overturn the verdict."

Provera is a progestin product acquired by Pfizer in 2003 with the purchase of Pharmacia, the parent company of Pharmacia and Upjohn. Marketed since 1959, Provera is used to prevent abnormal cell growth in the uterus-a risk associated with uterine cancer-that can occur in women who use estrogen alone to treat menopausal symptoms. The case was heard by Judge Nitza Quinones.

Phillips noted that hormone replacement therapy remains an important FDA-approved treatment option for women who suffer from the sometimes debilitating effects of menopause.