Louisiana Attorney General Files Complaint Against GranuFlo Manufacturer, Baron and Budd Reports
DALLAS, TX (PRWEB) July 30, 2014 -- A formal complaint has been filed by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office against the maker of the dialysis products GranuFlo and NaturaLyte. The complaint alleges that Fresenius Medical Care defrauded the state, its residents, physicians and dialysis clinics by selling these products, called dialysates, before they were recalled in 2012. There are hundreds of personal injury complaints related to these products pending in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts as part of a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL). (In re: Fresenius GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428)
The Associated Press published an article regarding the complaint on June 28, 2014. According to the article, the Attorney General’s Office claims that Fresenius was aware of potential health problems associated with GranuFlo and NaturaLyte as early as 2004, eight years before the recall. These issues include the elevated risk of cardiac arrest due to an increase in bicarbonate levels in the blood of patients on whom the products were used. (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/28/louisiana-sues-dialysis-drug-maker/)
The Attorney General’s lawsuit names Fresenius as well as almost 100 dialysis clinics the company owns throughout Louisiana. The article states that the Attorney General is seeking a penalty of $5,000 per violation of the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. In addition, the suit seeks any profits Fresenius made by selling the two products. (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/28/louisiana-sues-dialysis-drug-maker/)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class I recall on the products after learning that patients were at risk of developing metabolic alkalosis, a condition in which bicarbonate levels in the blood are dangerously increased. In addition to cardiac arrest, patients with this condition are also at a higher risk of suffering other cardiovascular issues including heart attacks. (http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfres/res.cfm?id=109861)
“Many of our clients have experienced the same health issues named in the filing by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office,” said Laura Baughman, shareholder at the national law firm of Baron and Budd. “The pressure is mounting to hold the manufacturer of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte accountable for the problems its products have caused thousands of people nationwide.”
If you or someone close to you has suffered cardiac arrest during or after dialysis treatment, you may have legal options. Contact the national law firm of Baron and Budd by calling 1-866-472-9108 or visit our website at http://baronandbudd.com/areas-of-practice/pharmaceuticals/granuflo-lawyer/.
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.).
Amanda Billo, Marketing, Baron & Budd, http://baronandbudd.com, +1 (214) 991-1051, [email protected]
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