Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP Announces Class Action Against Warner-Lambert; Rezulin Users File National Class Action Against Warner-Lambert.

Business/Legal Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2000

The following was announced today by the law firm of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP:

Lawyers representing Rezulin users have filed the first nationwide class action law suit against Warner-Lambert Company charging that the Company used false and deceptive advertising and influence-peddling to insure that Rezulin, a pill that lowers blood glucose levels, received FDA approval for use in treating Type II diabetes. Since its approval, use of Rezulin has been linked to serious health and safety concerns, severe liver damage and death. On March 21, 2000, at the request of the FDA, Warner-Lambert withdrew the drug from the U.S. market.

The Class Action Complaint was filed in State Court in New Jersey, by the firms of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, Sheller, Ludwig & Badey, P.C., Williams, Cuker & Berezofsky, Eichen & Cahn, P.C. and The Consumer Advocacy Center, P.C. Warner-Lambert's headquarters are located in New Jersey.

The Complaint was filed on behalf of all individuals who took Rezulin from March 1, 1997 through March 22, 2000. According to allegations listed in the Complaint, Warner-Lambert knowingly concealed material facts about the safety and efficacy of Rezulin from the FDA. It is further alleged that the Company engaged in deceptive and misleading practices, including withholding information from consumers and physicians about the adverse event reports confirming severe liver damage and the numerous deaths associated with the drug. The Complaint also alleges that Warner-Lambert continued to aggressively publicize Rezulin as having side effects comparable to a placebo in all media even though the Company's own clinical trial data which had been submitted to the FDA as part of the New Drug Application indicated that patients in clinical trials developed liver problems four times as often as the controls who had received a placebo.

It is further alleged in the Complaint that the Company withheld information from consumers and their doctors to ensure the continued success of what had become a billion dollar blockbuster drug. Sales of Rezulin to approximately 2 million diabetics generated revenues estimated at over $1.8 billion. "We would find it extremely troubling if Warner-Lambert, a Company that creates products to save lives, has put profits before life in this situation," said Louis Paul of Bernstein, Litowitz Berger & Grossmann and Stephen Sheller of Sheller, Ludwig & Badey.

"The FDA has linked Rezulin to 90 liver failures, including 63 deaths. This may be just the tip of the iceberg of what could have been an avoidable public health crisis," added Barry Eichen of Eichen, Cahn & Parra, L.L.P. and Jerry Williams of Williams, Cuker & Berezofsky. "In fact, the drug was withdrawn from the British market by Glaxo-Wellcome more than two years ago over safety concerns.

In addition to the nationwide class action, the law firms are also filing cases on behalf of individuals who suffered serious bodily injuries, such as liver failure and death, resulting from their use of Rezulin. "One of our clients, Mary Reichert, was sold on Rezulin because it was marketed as a safe pill that would cut down her need for insulin, give her better control of her blood sugar, and enable her to lead an even more active life," said Lance Raphael of The Consumer Advocacy Center, P.C. "Now, Mrs. Reichert, who developed liver failure after taking Rezulin, must wait for liver transplant surgery."

Bernstein, Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, Sheller, Ludwig & Badey, P.C., Williams, Cuker & Berezofsky, and Eichen & Cahn, P.C. all played key roles in medical monitoring class action litigation against American Home Products Corporation, the manufacturer of the popular diet drugs Pondimin and Redux. A court hearing which would give final approval to the $4 billion settlement in the diet drugs litigation is scheduled for early May.

A copy of the complaint is available on the Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP web site at www.blbglaw.com or by calling 800-883-2299. For additional information about the Rezulin class action, please contact Louis Paul, Esq. at 212-554-1472, Stephen Sheller, Esq. at 215-790-7300, Barry Eichen, Esq. at 732-777-0100 or Lance Raphael, Esq. 312-782-5808.