Federal Panel in California Establishes MDL no.2691 In Re: Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) Products Liability Litigation; Cory Watson Among Law Firms Representing Plaintiffs
Birmingham, AL (PRWEB) April 07, 2016 -- The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has issued a Transfer Order centralizing federal lawsuits in the Viagra melanoma litigation in the Northern District of California. According to the order, responding plaintiffs and the defendant, Pfizer, Inc. support or do not oppose the action. The panel also ordered that the MDL 2691 be renamed In re: Viagra( Sildenafil Citrate) Products Liability Litigation.
“ We look forward to the litigation and the opportunity to reveal the facts that led to the Viagra lawsuits,” said Ernest Cory, a founding Principal of Cory Watson Attorneys. Cory argued a motion on behalf of plaintiffs before the Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation on March 31, 2016, asking the panel to consider a request that all Viagra melanoma cases filed in federal courts be consolidated. The federal judges on the MDL panel issued today’s Transfer Order based on hearing arguments from attorneys for Pfizer and from attorneys representing plaintiffs. Attorneys nationwide are involved in the litigation. The court proceedings have been assigned to the Honorable Richard Seeborg of the Northern District of California.
The Transfer Order states that “ These actions share actual questions arising out of the allegation that Viagra (sildenafil citrate) causes or increases the risk of developing melanoma and that defendant failed to warn consumers and health care providers of the alleged risk. Additionally, all actions rely principally on the same studies to support their claims. Issues concerning general causation, the background science, regulatory history, and marketing will be common to all actions. Centralization will eliminate duplicative discovery, prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings on Daubert and other issues, and conserve the resources of the parties, their counsel, and the judiciary.”
Plaintiffs’ lawsuits, including Dennis Andrews v. Pfizer, Inc., United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 3:15-cv-4884, allege Pfizer knew Viagra posed a cancer risk, and purposely hid facts about the drug’s safety. The plaintiff also alleges that Pfizer failed to sufficiently test the link between the use of the drug and the risk of deadly melanoma before the drug was approved by the FDA. Additionally, Plaintiffs allege in the suit that that even when studies linked Viagra to an increased risk of melanoma, Pfizer failed to warn users about the important risks associated with Viagra use and instead, continued to spend millions of dollars to promote Viagra.
About Cory Watson Attorneys
Cory Watson Attorneys is a national law firm focused on complex personal injury litigation including class actions and mass tort litigation involving pharmaceutical drugs and defective medical devices. Additional information is available at http://www.corywatson.com .
Melanie McCraney, Cory Watson Attorneys, http://www.cwcd.com, 205-328-2200, [email protected]
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