West v. G.D. Searle & Co.

Robert H. Dudley, Justice.

From 1971 to 1983, Gari West took Ovulen-28, a prescription drug indicated for oral contraception. The drug was manufactured and distributed by defendant Searle. In December of 1983, Gari West was diagnosed as having a hepatic adenoma, a benign liver tumor, which caused damage and extensive suffering. Hepatic adenomas may develop for no known reason, but such adenomas are often known to be caused by taking oral contraceptive^. Gari West and her husband, Larry West, sued Searle and alleged that Ovulen-28 was defectively designed and manufactured, that Searle was…