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_______________
Copyright (c) 2001
Stanford Law School


Pfizer, Inc.
Summary: The original complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants misrepresented and omitted material facts concerning the safety and marketability of Pfizer's Celebrex and Bextra products. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that at all times during the Class Period, Defendants were aware of strong indicators that Celebrex and Bextra, drugs known as "Cox-2 Inhibitors," posed serious undisclosed health risks to consumers, that these undisclosed health risks would limit their marketability, and that the potential financial liability Pfizer faced from the harms these drugs caused posed a serious threat to the Company's finances. Nevertheless, Defendants concealed these facts from the investing public. Toward the close of the Class Period, a series of factual revelations from several sources caused the market to gradually perceive the truth about Pfizer's Bextra and Celebrex products. For example, on November 4, 2004, the Calgary Herald reported that "Celebrex, a popular pain drug touted as the safe alternative after Vioxx was pulled from drugstore shelves, is suspected of causing at least 14 deaths and numerous heart and brain side effects." Then, on November 10, 2004, the New York Times further shocked the market by reporting on a study finding that "[t]he incidence of heart attacks and strokes among patients given Pfizer's painkiller Bextra was more than double that of those given placebos." The complaint further alleges that as a result of these and other revelations, Pfizer's share price dropped from a closing price of $29.45 on November 3, 2004 to $27.15 on November 11, 2004 -- a drop of 8%.

On June 21, 2005, the Court entered a Order from the Multidistrict Litigation Panel transferring the securities class action to be handled in Case Number 1:05-md-01688-RO, In Re: Pfizer Inc. Securities, Derivative & ERISA Litigation.

On October 25, 2005, the Court entered the Opinion and Order # 92319 signed by Judge Richard Owen granting the motion to appoint the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana as lead plaintiff in the securities action and designating Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. as lead counsel. On February 16, 2006, a Consolidated Class Action Complaint was filed, and the defendants responded by filing a motion to dismiss the Consolidated Class Action Complaint. On July 1, 2008, the Court entered the Opinion and Order signed by Judge Laura Taylor Swain granting the defendants’ motion to dismiss as to Counts II, IV, V, and VI, with leave to re-plead all Counts except for Count VI, and is denied in all other respects.

According to a press release dated September 5, 2008, the court overseeing a putative securities class action against Pfizer Inc. has rejected the defendants' request for reconsideration of its prior ruling on a motion to dismiss, holding that Pfizer's bid to revisit issues the court already ruled on would constitute an improper second bite at the apple. On Thursday, Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied Pfizer's motion for reconsideration of a July 1 order on the defendants' dismissal bid and also denied Pfizer's request that the court certify two issues for interlocutory appeal. Pfizer's motion for reconsideration centered on the July opinion that granted in part and denied in part the defendants' motion to dismiss a consolidated class action complaint.

Since September 2008, the parties have been engaged in discovery proceedings. On March 26, 2011, the plaintiff filed a motion to certify the class.

On March 22, 2012, the court denied the defendants' motion for reconsideration of the Court's July 1, 2008 Opinion and Order.

On March 27, 2012, the plaintiffs filed an amended consolidated class action complaint.

On March 28, 2013, the Court issued an Opinion granting in part and denying in part Defendants' motion for summary judgment.

INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION:
SIC Code: 2834
Sector: Healthcare
Industry: Major Drugs


COMPANY/ISSUER NAME: Pfizer, Inc.
COMPANY/ISSUER TICKER: PFE
COMPANY WEBSITE: http://www.pfizer.com

FIRST IDENTIFIED COMPLAINT IN THE DATABASE
L. Norman Showers, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., et al.
 COURT: S.D. New York  DOCKET NUMBER: 04-CV-09866
 JUDGE NAME: Hon. Richard Owen
 DATE FILED: 12/15/2004  SOURCE: Notice of Filing
 CLASS PERIOD START: 11/01/2000  CLASS PERIOD END: 11/10/2004
 TYPE OF COMPLAINT: Complaint (Unamended and Unconsolidated)
 PLAINTIFF FIRMS NAMED IN COMPLAINT:
  • Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran
      1050 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20007
       (voice) 202.337.8000, (fax) 202.337.8090, contact@ftllaw.com
  • Johnson & Perkinson
      1690 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT, 05403
       (voice) 802.862.0030, (fax) 802.862.0060, JPLAW@adelphia.net
  • Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP (NY)
      200 Broadhollow Road, Suite 406, Melville, NY, 11747
       (voice) 631-367-7100, (fax) 631-367-1173,
  • Murray, Frank & Sailer LLP
      275 Madison Ave 34th Flr, New York, NY, 10016
       (voice) 212.682.1818, (fax) 212.682.1892, email@murrayfrank.com
  • Scott & Scott LLC (Connecticut)
      P.O. Box 192, 108 Norwich Avenue, Colchester, CT, 06415
       (voice) 860.537.5537, (fax) 860.537.4432, scottlaw@scott-scott.com
  • The Emerson Firm
      2228 Cottondale Avenue, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR, 72202
       (voice) 800.663.9817, (fax) 501.907.2556, epllp@emersonpoynter.com
  • Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP (New York)
      270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
       (voice) 212.545.4600, (fax) 212.686.0114, newyork@whafh.com
    _____________________________________________
     TOTAL NUMBER OF PLAINTIFF FIRMS:  7

  •  DOCUMENTS FOR THE FIRST IDENTIFIED COMPLAINT
    Class Action Complaint - Jury Trial Demanded
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 12/15/2004
    Transfer Order
    Type: Other Date on the document: 06/21/2005
    Opinion & Order
    Type: Order Appointing LP/LC Date on the document: 10/21/2005

    REFERENCE COMPLAINT
    In Re: Pfizer, Inc. Securities Litigation
     COURT: S.D. New York  DOCKET NUMBER: 04-CV-09866
     JUDGE NAME: 
     DATE FILED: 02/16/2006  SOURCE: Docket
     CLASS PERIOD START: 10/31/2000  CLASS PERIOD END: 10/19/2005
     TYPE OF COMPLAINT: Consolidated Complaint
     PLAINTIFF FIRMS NAMED IN COMPLAINT:
  • Milberg LLP (New York)
      One Pennsylvania Plaza, 49th Floor, New York, NY, 10119
       (voice) 1.877.692.1965, (fax) , ContactUs@milberg.com
    _____________________________________________
     TOTAL NUMBER OF PLAINTIFF FIRMS:  1

  •  DOCUMENTS FOR THE REFERENCE COMPLAINT
    Consolidated Class Action Complaint
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/16/2006
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 10/16/2006
    Opinion And Order
    Type: Order Date on the document: 07/01/2008
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 05/27/2009
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 01/05/2011
    Memorandum Opinion and Order
    Type: Order Date on the document: 03/22/2012
    Amended Consolidated Class Action Complaint
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/27/2012
    Opinion
    Type: Other Date on the document: 03/29/2012
    Amended Order Granting Motion For Class Certification
    Type: Order Date on the document: 04/06/2012
    Order Approving Notice And Summary Notice Of Pendency Of Class Action
    Type: Order Date on the document: 07/05/2012
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 09/19/2012
    Opinion
    Type: Other Date on the document: 03/28/2013
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 04/17/2013

     OTHER DOCUMENTS
    Class Action Complaint - Jury Trial Demanded
    Case Name and/or Number: Philip Morabito, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., et al.
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 12/17/2004
    Class Action Complaint for Violation of Federal Securities Laws - Jury Trial Demanded
    Case Name and/or Number: John Haggerty, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 12/17/2004
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Case Name and/or Number: In Re: Pfizer Inc. Securities, Derivative & ERISA Litigation
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 11/16/2006

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