DALLAS (PRWEB) June 18, 2014
The national law firm of Baron and Budd reports that the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts held a Status Conference on May 9, 2014 in regard to federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) for GranuFlo lawsuits. The Court filed a Joint Status Report stating that, included in the matters discussed during the conference were potential dates for the MDL’s bellwether trials. According to the report, the trials are expected to start in either mid-2015 or early 2016. (In re: Fresenius GranuFlo/Naturalyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428)
GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are products used in dialysis treatments for those suffering from kidney problems. According to court documents, plaintiffs allege that Fresenius Medical Care North America, the manufacturer of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, aggressively marketed these products even though it was aware of the dangerous health risks posed by their use.
In June 2012, The New York Times published an article that reported GranuFlo and NaturaLyte contain formulas that differ from competitors’ dialysates. According to the article, if the dosage was not correctly adjusted to account for this difference a dialysis patient could experience a dangerous condition known as metabolic alkalosis, which is an elevation of bicarbonate levels in the blood. Patients would also be at risk of heart attacks, cardiac arrests and other cardiovascular problems. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/health/fda-investigates-fresenius-for-failure-to-warn-of-risk.html?_r=0)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the Times, began an investigation of Fresenius Medical Care upon learning the company had circulated an in-house memo in November 2011 detailing those potential health issues. According to the article, the FDA is working to determine whether the manufacturer violated federal regulations by not notifying dialysis clinics outside its own network at the time. Fresenius did not notify out-of-network clinics about those issues until the end of March of 2012. The FDA issued a Class I recall on both products on March 29, 2012. (http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfres/res.cfm?id=109861)
“We are representing several clients who experienced serious health issues during or shortly after dialysis treatments,” said Laura Baughman, shareholder at the national law firm of Baron and Budd. “We are pleased to learn that the MDL is progressing, and we’re looking forward to the first trials.”
The national law firm of Baron and Budd is ready to help if you or someone you know has suffered heart-related problems such as cardiac arrests or heart attacks during or shortly after dialysis treatment. Call 866-472-9108 or visit our website at http://baronandbudd.com/areas-of-practice/pharmaceuticals/granuflo-lawyer/ for more information.
ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.
The attorneys at Baron and Budd have been Protecting What’s Right for consumers for more than 35 years. Over the years, our national law firm has built a successful track record representing people who have been harmed by corporate wrongdoing. The firm’s pharmaceutical lawyers recently represented over 7,000 patients harmed by using the drug Avandia. Previously, Baron & Budd played a prominent role in litigation related to the diet drug Fen-Phen. As a result, the case settled for an amount valued at more than $1.275 billion (In Re Diet Drugs (Phentermine | Fenfluramine | Dexfenfluramine) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1203 (E.D. Pa.).