Federal GranuFlo Lawsuit Litigation Doubles Its Case List in a Month; 1,570 Claims Now Filed over Dialysis Medications, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

• 

Our Firm regularly speaks with individuals who allege sudden cardiac death and other heart problems stemming from use of these dialysates.

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 16, 2014

Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes a significant increase in the number of cases filed since last month in a federal GranuFlo lawsuit (http://www.thegranuflolawsuit.com/ ) litigation underway in the District of Massachusetts, where more than double the amount of claims has now been centralized.

A Case List updated April 15th by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) shows 1,570 dialysis lawsuits now filed in a federal proceeding established for claims involving this drug, as well as NaturaLyte, another acid concentrate. These products, which are manufactured by Fresenius Medical Care and designed to neutralize the acid that builds up during dialysis, were affected by a Class I recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2012 that was prompted by findings that the risk for sudden cardiac death, heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular side effects associated with GranuFlo and NaturaLyte may be serious, and potentially fatal. When the JPML published its last court update on March 13th, a total of 650 cases had been filed in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. (In re Fresenius GranuFlo/Naturalyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428)

“We are extremely pleased to see such significant progress in the federal GranuFlo litigation, as our Firm continues to speak with individuals who allege sudden cardiac death, heart attacks, strokes and other heart problems stemming from use of this dialysate, and/or NaturaLyte,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective medical devices and drugs like GranuFlo and NaturaLyte. The Firm is currently offering free dialysis lawsuit evaluations to individuals who allege injuries that occurred within 72 hours of their administration.

GranuFlo Lawsuits

All the GranuFlo and NaturaLyte lawsuits now filed in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts allege sudden cardiac death, strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems that followed use of the dialysis medications. Plaintiffs in these cases not only accuse Fresenius Medical Care, a leading supplier of dialysis products and services in the U.S., of failing to adequately warn patients about the alleged potential for its products to cause serious injury and even death, but also concealing vital safety information from the general public.

According to claimants, the company had prior knowledge of problems with GranuFlo and NaturaLyte prior to issuing its Urgent Product Notification on March 29, 2012. Fresenius warned at the time that these drugs contain a high amount of an ingredient the body converts to bicarbonate; the elevated levels of which may lead to a condition referred to as metabolic alkalosis. On June 25, 2012, the FDA granted this notice Class I recall status after determining that GranuFlo and NaturaLyte’s possible association with serious heart problems may be life-threatening.

A New York Times report published shortly after the NaturaLyte and GranuFlo recall estimates that the medications had been administered in 125,000 customer clinics in the U.S., in addition to thousands operating within the Fresenius network.*

The Times article went on to announce the FDA’s plans to investigate the dialysis recall after finding that Fresenius sent an internal memo to doctors in its treatment centers several months before its March notice that advised them to adjust dosages of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte. Sent in November 2011, the document acknowledged 941 deaths that occurred after use of the medications in clinics owned by the company.

Dialysis patients and families who allege sudden cardiac death, strokes and heart attacks following use of NaturaLyte and GranuFlo may be eligible to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for lost wages, out-of-pocket medical expenses and any other pain and suffering they may have suffered as a result of the dialysates. Learn more about the GranuFlo recall by visiting Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website or by visiting the Firm’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/granuflolawsuit. You may also receive a free and confidential evaluation of your potential case by calling one of our attorneys at the following toll-free number: 800-511-5092.

*nytimes.com/2012/06/15/health/fda-investigates-fresenius-for-failure-to-warn-of-risk.html; New York Times, June 14, 2012

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since the list was first published in 2003.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP
10 East 40th Street
New York, New York 10016
800-511-5092

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.thegranuflolawsuit.com/
https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author

PDF Print