Court Affirms Effexor Defense Verdict, Exclusion of Warnings Evidence

CHICAGO - A federal appeals court has upheld a verdict for Wyeth Inc. in an Effexor suicide case, determining that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in refusing to allow the plaintiff to introduce evidence of suicide-related warnings issued for antidepressants after her husband's death. Giles v. Wyeth Inc., No. 07-3149 (7th Cir.).

The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued the ruling Feb. 12, affirming that the warnings available after Jeff Giles' suicide in 2002 had little probative value in the case and would likely have confused jurors who were asked to determine the adequacy of Effexor's …