Pfizer Inc., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, offered a settlement to a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Linda Shearer of Massachusetts. The suit alleged that her husband's use of Pfizer's anti-seizure medication, Neurontin, caused him to commit suicide in 2002.

Pfizer representatives claimed that the settlement was made on favorable terms, judging that the cost of the settlement would be less than the defense costs of carrying the case to completion. Bloomberg News claimed that Pfizer had settled for $400,000, but no confirmation is available, as Pfizer and the plaintiff have both said the terms are to remain confidential.

Shearer brought the case following her husband's suicide in 2002. Hartley Shearer was prescribed Neurontin after being paralyzed, in an effort to control the effects of the condition. The plaintiff's suit alleged that Pfizer promoted the drug despite it being unapproved for the use of paralysis management by U.S. regulators. Additionally, Shearer argued that Pfizer knew the drug was associated with suicide risks, but failed to provide her husband with proper warnings about it.

The settlement is still subject to court approval. The case lasted less than a week before the settlement was offered.

This is not the first legal headache involving this drug, one of Pfizer's strongest sellers. Pfizer recently was judged to have violated anti-racketeering laws by promoting Neurontin for off-label use. Damages of $47 million were awarded, and under racketeering law the amount could automatically triple. Pfizer also pleaded guilty in 2004 to a single criminal charge and agreed to a $430 million settlement pertaining to government investigation into Neurontin's promotion.

Pfizer has stated it intends to appeal the racketeering case. The corporation also has disclosed that other cases alleging wrongful death due to the potential for Neurontin to cause suicide are pending. These cases will continue to draw significant interest, because Neurontin recently lost patent protection and is being produced in generic form by Pfizer's competition.