INDIANAPOLIS -- Several dozen Indiana women are preparing to sue a drug company they claim sold a product it knew could cause breast cancer.

Prempro, a menopause medicine made by Wyeth, which is now owned by Pfizer, is the focus of lawsuits nationwide resulting in jury verdicts totaling more than $103 million, 6News' Rafael Sanchez reported.

An attorney for 46 Indiana women who plan to sue the drugmaker said he has a document that shows Wyeth officials were aware of the risks of Prempro and chose not to disclose it.

"The memo says dismiss and distract, 'We are going to downplay those risks,'" said Greg Laker. "Wyeth, for years, has been overselling the benefits of the drug and understating the risk."

In 2003, Wyeth disclosed that Prempro could cause breast cancer, but the admission came too late for Cheryl Foust, of Richmond, who had been taking the drug between 1999 and 2003.

She died of breast cancer in 2005.

"We just miss her dearly. She had a desire no other woman would go thru this," said Steve Foust, her husband of 37 years.

"This didn't have to happen. If she had known the risk she would still be here," said the couple's daughter, Christine Singleton.

Foust's case will be heard in federal court in Philadelphia beginning on Jan. 16.

Pfizer officials said they will challenge the lawsuits.

"We stand by our belief that our subsidiaries acted responsibly by providing proper and accurate warnings regarding the hormone therapy medicines' risks, performing and supporting studies on the known and potential benefits and risks of hormone therapy, and keeping the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully informed," said Pfizer spokesman Chris Loder in a statement.

The women also claim the drugmaker oversold the benefits of the drug, promoting it as helping bones and the heart as well as menopause symptoms. Prempro is still on the market.

More Information: Full Pfizer Statement On Prempro