Status Conference Scheduled for GranuFlo Multidistrict Litigation, Notes Hissey Kientz, LLP
Austin, Texas (PRWEB) August 19, 2013 -- The law firm of Hissey Kientz, LLP reports that the first Scheduling Conference for the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte multidistrict litigation in U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts is scheduled for August 30, 2013, according to a July 29th judicial order.
The Conference will take place in the Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts and has been scheduled by Federal Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, who is presiding over the multidistrict litigation. According to court documents, more than 300 GranuFlo lawsuits are now pending in the District of Massachusetts. (In re Fresenius GranuFlo/Naturalyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428)
In March 2012, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class 1 Recall of GranuFlo dry acid concentrate and NaturaLyte liquid acid concentrate after it was presented with a leaked internal memo from the manufacturer, Fresenius Medical Care (FMC).
According to the Fresenius memo, GranuFlo and NaturaLyte acid concentrates contain bicarbonate, which is used during hemodialysis treatment to neutralize acid build up in the blood. When patients have elevated pre-dialysis bicarbonate blood levels, the addition of GranuFlo or NaturaLyte acid concentrates could raise bicarbonate levels to dangerous heights. This can result in serious side effects such as sudden cardiac death, arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke or death.
In their November 2011 internal memo, Fresenius Medical Care warned that patients with elevated bicarbonate levels were six times more likely to suffer a heart attack or sudden cardiac death from GranuFlo or NaturaLyte than patients using other dialysis products.
According to a June 2012 article from the The New York Times, Fresenius Medical Care allegedly issued this memo to dialysis centers owned by Fresenius, but did not warn thousands of non-Fresenius owned dialysis clinics using GranuFlo and NaturaLyte products until March 2012.
Patients who have experienced heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, stroke or other complications from GranuFlo and NaturaLyte acid concentrates may wish to speak with a lawyer to find out if they are eligible to file a lawsuit. For a free GranuFlo or NaturaLyte lawsuit consultation, contact the attorneys at Hissey Kientz, LLP by calling toll-free at 1-866-275-4454, or by email at info(at)hkllp(dot)com.
*http://www.mad.uscourts.gov/worcester/MDL2428/MDL2428.htm
**http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/safety/listofrecalls/ucm309990.htm
***http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/health/fda-investigates-fresenius-for-failure-to-warn-of-risk.html?_r=2&
About Hissey Kientz, LLP
Hissey Kientz, LLP (http://www.hkllp.com) represents individuals experiencing complications from GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, as well as victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, birth defects linked to the antidepressant drugs Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa and Effexor, Medtronic Infuse Bone Grafts, Stryker and BioMet hip replacements, transvaginal mesh implants and other defective drugs and medical devices.
Allison Sass, Hissey Kientz LLP, http://www.hkllp.com, 1-866-275-4454, [email protected]
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