GranuFlo Lawsuits Mount, as Filings in Federal GranuFlo Recall Litigation Approach 400, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, NY (PRWEB) November 19, 2013 -- GranuFlo lawsuits (http://www.thegranuflolawsuit.com/) stemming from the 2012 recall of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte dialysis concentrates continue to mount in courts around the country, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to court documents, the number of claims pending against Fresenius Medical Care in the multidistrict litigation underway in U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, is approaching 400, with at least 393 dialysis lawsuits involving GranuFlo and NaturaLyte filed so far. The Court’s previous update issued in October indicated that just over 300 GranuFlo recall claims had been filed in the proceeding at that time. (In re Fresenius GranuFlo/Naturalyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428)
“We continue to hear from dialysis patients, as well as their families, who allegedly suffered side effects related to the GranuFlo recall. It’s not surprising that the number of dialysis lawsuits pending against Fresenius has grown at this rate,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free GranuFlo lawsuit evaluations to dialysis patients who suffered cardiac arrest, heart attacks, stroke, sudden cardiac death or other side effects allegedly related to the administration of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte during dialysis treatments.
GranuFlo Recall
GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, which are used during dialysis to remove acid from the blood, were named in a Class I recall in 2012, after inappropriate dosing of the products was linked to dangerously high levels of bicarbonate in patients’ blood. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), this can result in a condition called metabolic alkalosis, which may cause dialysis patients to suffer heart attacks strokes, sudden cardiac death and other catastrophic heart problems following administration of the drugs. Fresenius first warned dialysis clinics of this potential danger associated with GranuFlo and NaturaLyte via an Urgent Product Notification issued in March 2012. The notification was then granted Class I recall status by the FDA, which according to the agency, indicates the products are associated with a significant risk of serious injury and death.
According to a recent report from The New York Times, the FDA also launched an investigation of Fresenius’ handling of the GranuFlo recall, after it became aware that the company had notified dialysis clinics within its own network of these issues via a memo it circulated in November 2011. The FDA is trying to determine if the company’s delay between the November 2011 memo and the March 2012 notification to dialysis clinics nationwide violated any federal regulations.*
According to court documents, the GranuFlo lawsuits pending in Massachusetts federal court involve similar allegations that Fresenius Medical Care failed to provide adequate warnings regarding the use of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, and continued to aggressively market both products after their risks became apparent in order to protect their market share. In addition to the federal proceeding, court records show that scores of similar dialysis lawsuits involving GranuFlo and NaturaLyte have also been filed in in Massachusetts’ Middlesex County Superior Court. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is actively filing claims in that proceeding. (In re Consolidated Fresenius Cases, No. MICV2013-03400-O)
Dialysis patients or the families of patients who allegedly suffered a heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death or other catastrophic heart event within 72 hours of administration of GranuFlo or NaturaLyte may be eligible to file a dialysis lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care. Learn More about the GranuFlo recall at Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website, or visit the Firm’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/granuflolawsuit. For additional information, and to arrange for a free case review, please call 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 11 consecutive years.
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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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