Federal Personal Injury Lawsuits Against Granuflo and Naturalyte Moving Forward
Currently, there are more than 229 Granuflo and Naturalyte personal injury lawsuits pending in the US District Court of Massachusetts. Reportedly, these lawsuits are now moving into the discovery phase.
On October 1st, an order issued by Judge Douglas P. Woodlock began the discovery portion of the pre-trial proceedings. Generic Requests for Production and/or interrogatories are due by October 28th, while written responses will be due January 6th, 2014. Then, the process of deciding which cases will be the bellwether trials for the multidistrict litigation (MDL) will begin (In re Fresenius GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Dialysate Litigation, MDL No. 2428).
According to a court document from Friday, March 29th, 2013, several plaintiffs who have personal injury lawsuits against Fresenius, the manufacturer of Granuflo and Naturalytedialysis powders, have had their lawsuits consolidated into one multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Massachusetts.
“Weighing all factors, the District of Massachusetts stands out as an appropriate transferee forum. Four of the eleven actions on the motion are pending in this district, as are another twenty seven related actions. The district is favored both by Fresenius and by numerous plaintiffs,” the JPMDL said in their court document. Fresenius is based in Waltham, Mass.
The document listed the reason for consolidation into an MDL: “All the actions share common factual questions arising out of allegations that plaintiffs suffered injury or death caused by the use of Granuflo and/or Naturalyte products during hemodialysis, which allegedly may cause metabolic alkalosis in patients resulting in low blood pressure, hypokalemia, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, cardiac arrhythmia, or cardiopulmonary arrest.”
Granuflo and Naturalyte Did Not Receive Manufacturer Recall
In 2012, the FDA issued a Class I Recall of Granuflo and Naturalyte after reports that the dialysis drugs directly caused heart attacks in patients using them. After investigating the cases, it was discovered that Fresenius Medical, the manufacturers of Granuflo and Naturalyte, knew about the problem but failed to warn doctors at facilities not run by their company, and also continued to use the drugs in their own dialysis clinics.
Granuflo and Naturalyte are made differently from other dialysis products. Granuflo adds acetic acid and sodium acetate to the final dialysate solution, which results in more bicarbonate in the blood than other formulas, which only use acetic acid. Doctors can compensate by lowering the dose, but many were unaware of the difference because Fresenius did not warn them.
Too much bicarbonate in the blood can cause metabolic alkalosis, which means the blood is too alkaline. Alkaline blood contributes to cardiac arrest and a higher risk of heart complications.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help with GranuFlo and Naturalyte Personal Injury Lawsuits
If you or a loved one has had dialysis with Granflo or Naturalyte and have since suffered serious heart problems, or if a loved one has received dialysis treatment with either of these drugs and has died from heart complications, you may be entitled to compensation. Defective drugs can cause serious harm, including wrongful death, and drug manufacturers must be held to a high standard regarding their customers’ health. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. With over 30 years’ experience combined, our lawyers can help you with personal injury lawsuits, including cases against medical manufacturers such as Fresenius, the manufacturer of GranuFlo and Naturalyte. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so do not hesitate to contact us today. 803.252.4800
