Zoloft maker sued over pill’s efficacy as antidepressant

The maker of Zoloft is being sued in an unusual case alleging the popular antidepressant has no more benefit than a dummy pill. The federal lawsuit, filed in California, argues that patients who took it should be reimbursed for their costs.

Zoloft’s maker, Pfizer Inc., disagrees. It says clinical studies and the experience of millions of patients and their doctors over two decades prove Zoloft is effective. Pfizer and four psychiatry experts interviewed by The Associated Press call the lawsuit frivolous. But the plaintiff, Laura Plumlee, says Zoloft didn’t help her during three years of treatment.