Wyeth, Inc. v. Danny Weeks and Vicki Weeks

Summary

The court answered the certified question affirmatively, holding that Alabama law permits a plaintiff injured by a generic prescription drug to pursue fraud or misrepresentation claims against the brand-name manufacturer based on allegedly inadequate or misleading warnings. The court reasoned that the claim is distinct from a products-liability claim, that federal labeling requirements cause generic labels to replicate brand-name labels, and that the learned-intermediary doctrine supplies a legally sufficient relationship through the prescribing physician. Justices Murdock, Moore, and Parker dissented on duty, certification, and relationship grounds, while Justice Shaw concurred specially to emphasize the ruling's narrow scope.