The drugs in question are Premarin, which is an estrogen replacement, and Prempro, which is a combination of estrogen and progestin. The drugs are used to treat the unpleasant effects of menopause. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of prescriptions are written annually.

Donna Scroggin had sued the companies in 2004 alleging that they failed to carry adequate warnings of breast cancer risks. Last month she was awarded $2.75 million in compensatory damages. The lawsuit filed by Scroggin also pointed the finger at Provera, a drug made by Upjohn, which is a Pfizer unit.

Wyeth has previously been sued for Premarin and Prempro and the results of these lawsuits have been mixed. One case filed by Helene Rush was dismissed as were a number of smaller suits filed in Little Rock in 2006.

However a jury awarded $134 million to three women in Nevada who sued Wyeth for similar hormone replacement therapy reasons. A judge has since reduced the award to $23 million in compensatory and $35 million in punitive damages. Wyeth faces at least 5,300 lawsuits for the HRT drugs across state and federal courts.

The company said it plans to appeal the latest ruling, "There is no basis in fact or law for this award...We will pursue several post-trial motions and will ultimately appeal the entire case if necessary," Lyn P. Pruitt, an attorney for the Madison, N.J.-based company revealed.