Gladys Mensing and Julie Demahy didn’t know that the simple act of filling their prescriptions would eventually lead to litigation in the Supreme Court. Both women were prescribed Reglan, a brand-name heartburn drug made by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and their pharmacists filled their prescriptions with the drug’s generic versions. After taking the drugs for several years, Mensing and Demahy developed the same serious neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle movements.
The women sued the generic-medication makers—Pliva Inc. and Actavis Inc.—because the drugs’ labels didn’t contain warnings about the possibility of developing the disorder. Mensing and Demahy also said the companies should have updated the labels as they uncovered previously unknown risks.
