Valsartan Lawsuits Move Forward, as Federal Litigation Sets Status Conference Schedule

Published on April 5, 2019 by Sandy Liebhard

Valsartan lawsuits continue to move forward in the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, where federal claims stemming from the ongoing generic drug recall are currently undergoing coordinated pretrial proceedings.

According to a Case Management Order dated April 2nd, the litigation will convene two-part Status Conferences on the fourth Wednesday of every month. The first part of each conference will address discovery matters pertinent to valsartan lawsuits, beginning at 10:00 am. The second part will start at 1:30 p.m., when various case management and scheduling issues will be addressed.

Two weeks before each status conference, the Court will conduct a telephone conference with leadership counsel at 4:00 p.m. Plaintiffs’ counsel will arrange the call.

Court to Address Plaintiff Committee Appointments at Upcoming Status Conference

The litigation will convene its next Status Conference on April 24th. The Court will address  various matters at that time, including the appointment of attorneys to plaintiffs’ leadership committees.

By close of business on April 10th, Plaintiffs’ Leadership Counsel must contact all attorneys with valsartan lawsuits pending in the litigation regarding their desire to join a committee. The attorneys must respond to the inquiry by April 18th, so that leadership counsel can submit list of nominations by close of business on April 22nd.

Recalled Valsartan May Contain Cancer-Causing Nitrosamines

The valsartan recall began last year, when the first of three cancer-causing nitrosamines were detected in active ingredients manufactured by two overseas suppliers. Dozens of generic drug makers around the world have since recalled the following sartan medications:

  • Amlodipine/Valsartan Tablets
  • Valsartan/Hydrochlorothiazide (Valsartan HCT) Tablets
  • Valsartan/Amlodipine/Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets
  • Losartan Tablets
  • Irbesartan Tablets

According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), contaminated sartan products have been in circulation since at least 2014. Patients who use generic versions should periodically check the agency’s regularly-updated lists of recalled valsartanlosartan and irbesartan products to ensure their medication hasn’t been recalled.

Federal MDL Limited to Valsartan Lawsuits, For Now

At least 43 valsartan lawsuits were pending in the federal multidistrict litigation as of March 15th. These cases include individual personal injury claims alleging the ingestion of contaminated drugs caused various cancers, as well as class action complaints that seek economic damages for consumers’ valsartan purchases.

At this time, the proceeding involves only valsartan lawsuits. However, it appears the Court will also address the inclusion of other recalled sartan medications during the upcoming status conference.

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