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If your loved one underwent a dialysis treatment using GranuFlo or NaturaLyte and tragically died after, you may be interested in the growing litigation of Fresenius lawsuits filed on behalf of patients who suffered cardiovascular death, sudden cardiac death, heart attacks or other injuries allegedly caused by the acid concentrates. After receiving GranuFlo or NaturaLyte, the side effects associated with these medications distributed in dialysis clinics owned by Fresenius USA may be experienced within the first 48 hours after being administered. According to a New York Times report published in the summer of 2012, GranuFlo and NaturaLyte were also used at 125,000 customer clinics outside of the Fresenius network. As a result, the number of Fresenius lawsuits may be likely to rise in the coming months. In June 2012, these products were subject to a Class I recall issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the manufacturer issued an “Urgent Product Notification” warning health care providers in its clinics about the product’s heart risks. Class I is the most serious type of recall issued by the agency, and is only announced when there is a high likelihood that a product will cause severe side effects or even death. Meanwhile, the litigation of dialysis drug-related claims is moving forward in federal court. As of April 2013, Fresenius lawsuits filed over the dialysis drugs had been consolidated in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation moved these cases on March 29, 2013 via a Transfer Order. At the time, there were 11 federally-filed Fresenius lawsuits pending in U.S. courts alleging Fresenius Medical Care was aware of the heart-related risks GranuFlo and NaturaLyte posed to the safety of patients, yet failed to warn about their side effects before the Class I recall. Upon issuing its Order to consolidate the dialysis suits, the Panel said there were dozens more potential tag-along actions pending in various federal districts. To the likely relief of plaintiffs, discoveries have already been made in the litigation. For one, an internal company memo sent by Fresenius officials on November 4, 2011 informed doctors about an approximate 900 patient deaths that occurred in patients who took GranuFlo, and advised them to adjust their dosage of the drugs in patients. After becoming aware of this information, the FDA has begun to investigate whether Fresenius violated a law by solely warning its own doctors about GranuFlo side effects and death, rather than the general public.
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Fresenius lawsuit, GranuFlo, NaturaLyte,
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