GranuFlo & Naturalyte Lawsuits Consolidated in Massachusetts MDL
According to a court document from Friday, March 29th, several plaintiffs who have personal injury lawsuits against Fresenius, the manufacturer of GranuFlo & Naturalyte dialysis powders, have had their lawsuits consolidated into one multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Massachusetts.
The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPMDL) released a statement from their March 29th decision saying that both Fresenius and many of the plaintiffs favored Massachusetts to house the MDL, which is now officially MDL No. 2428.
“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.”
Personal Injury Caused by GranuFlo & Naturalyte
Prior to MDL consolidation, Fresenius faced 732 personal injury lawsuits alleging that their dialysis powders GranuFlo & Naturalyte were defective, and caused serious and dangerous side effects including cardiac arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. Forty-six states had personal injury lawsuits against the manufacturer, and a few patients died because of their reactions to GranuFlo & Naturalyte.
One of the legal accusations against Fresenius is that the company failed to warn the FDA about health problems related to the dialysis powders. In an internal memo from November 2011, Fresenius warned its own doctors and clinics that GranuFlo & Naturalyte increased the risk of cardiopulmonary arrest, and even cardiac death, in certain patients. Despite the seriousness of such a concern, the manufacturer did not forward the memo to the FDA, and began to pull the powders only from their own dialysis clinics. Both GranuFlo & Naturalyte were sold to dialysis clinics not affiliated with Fresenius, and were therefore not warned of potential dangers.
In March of 2012, the FDA recalled both the dialysis powders. The regulatory agency is investigating the manufacturer to determine if they violated federal law.
Fresenius has kidney dialysis clinics all over the United States, and also sold the GranuFlo & Naturalyte powders to dialysis centers not run directly by the manufacturer. One estimate says that 33% of Americans who require kidney dialysis have been treated at a Fresenius center, or with GranuFlo & Naturalyte.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help with GranuFlo & Naturalyte Personal Injury Lawsuits
If you or a loved one has had dialysis with GranuFlo 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
