650 Cases Now Filed in Federal GranuFlo Lawsuit Litigation against Fresenius, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, NY (PRWEB) March 30, 2014 -- Dialysis patients and families who may have been affected by the GranuFlo recall (http://www.thegranuflolawsuit.com/) are steadily filing claims in Massachusetts federal court over two medications allegedly tied to sudden cardiac death, heart attacks, strokes and other serious cardiovascular injuries, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports.
Court records updated on March 13th show a total of 650 claims now pending in a federal multidistrict litigation established in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. These cases have been filed on behalf of individuals who were allegedly injured by either GranuFlo or NaturaLyte, two acid concentrates that were recalled in June 2012 after their side effects were determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be serious and potentially fatal. When the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) issued its last Case List update on February 19th, just 515 claims had been filed in the federal Massachusetts litigation, which may serve as an indicator of its continued progress. (In re Fresenius GranuFlo/Naturalyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428)
“We are not surprised to see more and more cases join the federal GranuFlo lawsuit litigation in Massachusetts. On a regular basis, our Firm hears from individuals who allege sudden cardiac death, heart attacks, strokes and other serious heart problems stemming from use of the dialysates,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing individuals harmed by defective medical devices and drugs. Currently, the Firm is offering free and confidential case evaluations for individuals who may have experienced side effects within 72 hours of receiving GranuFlo or NaturaLyte.
GranuFlo Lawsuits
All the NaturaLyte and GranuFlo lawsuit claims now pending in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts were filed after a Class I recall of the medications was issued on June 25, 2012. This action was taken by the FDA after cardiovascular side effects associated with the drugs, which are manufactured by Fresenius Medical Care, were shown to be serious, and potentially life-threatening. At the time, a New York Times report published shortly after the recall indicates that approximately 125,000 customer clinics outside the company’s network had been administering GranuFlo and NaturaLyte during dialysis, as were thousands of treatment centers owned by Fresenius.*
An Urgent Product Notification issued by Fresenius Medical Care on March 29th, 2012 alerted the general public of the risk for sudden cardiac death, heart attack, stroke and other heart problems to stem from the dialysates. According to the notice, GranuFlo and NaturaLyte contain a high amount of an ingredient the body converts to bicarbonate, which may result in metabolic alkalosis, a condition caused by elevated levels of bicarbonate in the blood stream. According to court documents, lawsuits filed almost two years after the GranuFlo recall assert that this safety notice was issued too late, and that Fresenius had prior knowledge of problems associated with its products months before alerting the general public.
According to the Times article from June 2012, FDA planned to investigate Fresenius’ handling of the GranuFlo recall after learning of an internal memo the company sent in November 2011 to physicians in its treatment centers. Among other things, the letter warned of 941 deaths that may have followed use of the medications. Doctors at this time were told to adjust dosages of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, while those operating outside its network were not notified until that following March.
Dialysis patients and families who were allegedly affected by the NaturaLyte and GranuFlo recall may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, out-of-pocket medical expenses and any other pain and suffering they may have endured as a result of the acid concentrates. Please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website to learn more about the GranuFlo recall or 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.
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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/
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Felecia L. Stern, GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Dialysis Lawsuit Center, http://www.thegranuflolawsuit.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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