Valsartan Lawsuit Court Approves Plaintiff’s Fact Sheets to Streamline Discovery

Published on October 25, 2019 by Sandy Liebhard

The federal court overseeing dozens of valsartan lawsuits filed in the wake of recent heart and blood pressure drug recalls has approved the use of various Plaintiff’s Fact Sheets to streamline the discovery process.

According to an Order issued in the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, on October 3^rd, the litigation will utilize three different Plaintiff’s Fact Sheets for:

• Personal injury plaintiffs;
• Class action plaintiffs seeking medical monitoring; and
• Class action Plaintiffs seeking compensation for economic losses.

Plaintiffs who have already filed a Short Form Complaint must submit the appropriate Plaintiffs Fact Sheet within 90 days of the date of the Order. All future valsartan lawsuit plaintiffs must do so within 60 days of filing their Short Form Complaint.

Valsartan Recalls for Nitrosamine-Tainted Drugs

Numerous generic drug makers have recalled valsartan-containing medications and other sartan drugs since July 2018, when the first of three potentially cancer-causing nitrosamines was discovered in active ingredient manufactured by suppliers in China and India.

Nitrosamine are typically found in cured meats and can occur as a byproduct of the manufacturing process. The compounds are considered probable human carcinogens and have been linked to an increased risk of gastrointestinal, liver, and kidney tumors.

The FDA believes the nitrosamine contamination resulted from a change in production methods instituted by overseas manufacturers roughly four years before the first valsartan recall. Thus, it’s likely that contaminated heart and blood pressure drugs had  been on the market for at least four years.

Valsartan Lawsuit Allegations

More than 140 valsartan lawsuits are now pending in the multidistrict litigation underway in New Jersey.

Around half of the filings involve individuals who allegedly developed cancer due to the ingestion of tainted drugs. The remaining class actions assert claims for economic damages related to the purchase of recalled valsartan or medical monitoring for those who used contaminated medications.

Earlier this year, a valsartan lawyer told Bloomberg News that 1.8 million Americans had taken adulterated heart and blood pressure drugs and suggested that his firm could file at least 2,000 cancer claims within the next two years. A lawyer for MSP Recovery, a Florida-based service representing health insurance companies that covered 73,311 valsartan patients prior to the recalls, estimated those claims totaled more than $91 million.