After four sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer, they began to suspect that a certain pregnancy drug that their mother took in the ‘50s had something to do with their diagnosis. The Melnick sisters are now suing the former manufacturer of DES (diethylstilbestrol), with their case set to begin on Friday in federal court. The Melnick sisters’ claim will become one of the first of many around the United States to proceed to trial.
The many different pharmaceutical companies that marketed or manufactured the drug have argued that no sure link was established between breast cancer and DES – a synthetic estrogen that was once prescribed to millions of women between the late ‘30s and the early ‘70s in order to prevent miscarriage and premature births.
The drug was eventually pulled from the market after being linked to vaginal cancer in women whose mothers took DES. On top of this, studies show that DES did not effectively prevent miscarriages after all. In fact, prenatal exposure to DES has long been suspected of causing fertility problems and reproductive tract problems.
If you or one of your loved ones has been diagnosed with breast cancer because of prenatal exposure to DES, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area today using the Personal Injury Lawyer Directory.
