US Supreme Court Asks For Obama Administration Views On Vaccine Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the Obama administration to weigh in on whether a Georgia family should be able to bring a product liability lawsuit against vaccine makers Wyeth (WYE) and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK).

The drug makers say the lawsuit should be barred by a federal law that shields vaccine manufacturers from legal liability.

At issue is a lawsuit by Georgia parents who alleged that their son suffered severe neurological disorders after receiving several vaccines that used thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative.

The Georgia Supreme Court allowed the lawsuit to go forward for a determination of whether there were design defects in the vaccines.

Wyeth and Glaxo said the Georgia court ruling, if not reversed, could prompt a wave of lawsuits against vaccine makers.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delayed a decision on whether to hear the case. It asked the U.S. solicitor general, the government's lawyer at the Supreme Court, to file a written brief expressing the government's position on the issues in the case.

The case is American Home Products Corp. v. Ferrari, 08-1120.

-By Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9222; [e-mail]