Class Action Lawsuit Attorneys

Valsartan Medication Cancer Lawsuits

If you have taken Valsartan and have been diagnosed with cancer, you might be able to hold the maker of this drug accountable for your adverse health reaction. Valsartan has been linked with nitrosamine, N-Nitrosodimethylamine(NDMA) contamination which can cause tumors in the liver and other organs in lab animals. You may be eligible to work with a class action attorney for this recalled drug and your personal injury associated with taking it.

This medication is a blood pressure drug that should not have this NDMA compound in it, but there was contamination that occurred during manufacturing processes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that the contaminants are concerning because they have the potential to cause harm to those who are exposed to it even at very low levels.

The Valsartan medication class action lawsuit process began in July, 2021, when the FDA stated that some of these drugs were contaminated with a cancer-causing compound. Europe had already made this information public due to their own discovery of this concern. The issue with the contamination actually stems from the compounds that are used to make the drug being mismanaged during the creation of the drug itself.

This medication is made by a Chinese company, Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals. The recalls that are currently in place are getting greater attention since the medication is a foreign-produced drug. This drug can be sold with profit-motives in mind in the country of origin, so the FDA looks at these medications with more interest than drugs made just for the well-being of patients.

Current Reasons that Valsartan Medications Class Action Lawsuits Have Been Filed

The current reasons that there have been lawsuits filed for these medications are related to detected symptoms in patients taking the medication. The symptoms include:

•     Liver failure
•     Kidney failure
•     Angioedema (the swelling of tissues in the body)
•     Lowered white blood cell counts

These are the most common side effects of the drug, but there have also been instances where pregnant women have suffered birth defects due to taking the drug. You should consult your physician if you think that any health concerns that you are experiencing are linked with this medication.

What is the Language of the Cancer Lawsuits?

The lawsuits that are currently in place state that patients who were prescribed the drug were willfully exposed to unsafe contaminants that were contained in the medication. The contamination has been undiscovered for years and the manufacturer should have been able to discover and release this information in a much timelier fashion. These actions show willful disregard for medication safety by the company.

Can I File a Valsartan Lawsuit?

If you have taken Valsartan that was prescribed by a doctor and have been diagnosed with cancer since then you might be able to pursue legal action against the manufacturer of the medication. Lawsuits can seek settlements that will provide compensations for financial and non-financial losses that you have experienced as a result of taking this medication. You might get the following benefits from pursuing legal action after your cancer diagnosis:

•     Compensation for your pain and your suffering
•     Funeral expenses paid
•     Lost wages compensation
•     Financial loss compensation
•     Compensation for your medical bills

There might be other things that your lawyer feels are connected with your cancer diagnosis that requires compensation. Each case is unique and your class action lawsuit lawyer will be able to advise you about the requests that will be included in your settlement demands.

Can I Access Class Action Help Without my Own Lawyer?

You can access class action assistance without securing your own lawyer if you think that you have been harmed by taking this medication. You will be able to fill out a form online and your information will be included in the class-action lawsuit. You might not want to be involved in the process of seeking unique compensation for your injuries and the class action suit will cover your basic losses when it is paid out.

It does not cost anything to be involved in a class-action suit and you will receive your settlement when the case has been concluded. There will be no settlement if the manufacturer is not found to be responsible for your cancer diagnosis. Remember that a lawsuit that is undertaken for your own unique situation will be likely to award more money and have a more specific benefit to your unique needs.

What Are the Lawsuits Alleging?

The lawsuits that are being leveled against the Valsartan manufacturer state that the company did not adhere to safe manufacturing practices and that they sold “an unreasonably dangerous” drug. If the class action suits are a success, people will get money to cover their medical bills, their lost wages, and other kinds of damages. There are various kinds of cancer that have been associated with the drug, as well as deaths.

What Kinds of Cancer have been Associated With Valsartan?

There are numerous cancers that have been associated with this medication. Anyone who has taken it is at risk to develop one of these cancers as well as other health complications related to cancer.

•     Stomach cancer
•     Prostate cancer
•     Liver cancer
•     Pancreatic cancer
•     Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
•     Intestinal cancer
•     Esophageal cancer
•     Colorectal cancer
•     Leukemia
•     Multiple myeloma

These are all serious cancers and the list will probably grow as more people come out with information about their own cancer diagnosis related to taking this medication. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with any of these cancers and has been taking Valsartan, you are probably eligible to receive a settlement for your pain and suffering and the damage to your health.

Can You Find Out if Your Medication Has Been Recalled?

If you are not sure if your medication has been recalled, the best thing to do is check the FDA site. This is a complete list of the current medication recalls that are in place for this class of drug and you will be able to see if your medication is on the list.

You will be able to find your medication info on the paperwork that you were given when you picked up your medication. Your pharmacist might also be able to supply the information that you need to verify that you are taking a recalled drug.

Some people who have been impacted by a drug recall will get a letter stating that this is the case and they will be able to respond to the letter or to contact their own lawyer if they believe that they should proceed with their own personal lawsuit against the company. This recall has been in effect since July of 2018, so if you have not received a letter by now, you will need to reach out to an attorney or to the class action lawsuit information that you were provided.

The list of Valsartan products continues to grow, so if you take any medication that has been made by this company in this class, you might be affected. You should make sure that any blood pressure medication that you are taking is not currently included on this list of recalled drugs. There is more than one medication that is involved.

What will Valsartan be Held Accountable For?

The company will be held accountable for various failures to do their duty related to the safety of the medications that they are producing. There is a duty of care that drug manufacturers are required to uphold when they make and distribute medications. These duties to care require that safety procedures and testing are done for every batch of medication that is produced in their laboratories and manufacturing plants.

The failures to provide a duty of care that will be listed in the lawsuits are as follows:

1.            Didn’t warn people there are serious side effects that could be related to their medications.

2.            Created medications that are defectively designed. These medications are unsafe for the intended purposes that they were made for.

3.            Didn’t use care when manufacturing. 

4.            Misrepresented the drugs that they created and falsified the ingredients on the labels for the medications.

5.              Labels were deceptive that were used for ads.

These are some of the common issues that can lead to class action lawsuits. If you have been diagnosed with cancer-related to these medications, your personal lawsuit or the class action lawsuit that you are involved with will state these failures to comply with regulations and standards of care.

What is the Dosage Information for Valsartan?

This medication was considered to be safe to be given even to pediatric patients when it was released. As a result, children of all ages may have been taking this medication to help manage their hypertension.

Dosing is listed in the FDA drug information that you can access. The medical professional who prescribed the drug would have followed these guidelines for dosage.

For adult hypertension, the stated dosage is 80 or 160 mg once a day. The dose range can be extended to 320 mg once daily per the instructions. For pediatric patients, the recommended dosage is 1.3mg/kg once daily with a cap of 40 mg total. The dose range can be extended to 160 mg total once a day.

For heart failure patients, 40 mg twice a day is recommended. This can be extended to 160 mg once a day. The target maintenance dose listed is 160 mg twice a day. Post myocardial infarction patients are to be given 20 mg twice a day with an extension to 160 mg. The target maintenance dose is 160 mg twice daily.

The stated tablet strengths listed in the medication information are 40, 80, 160, and 320 mg tablets. There are warnings to avoid fetal exposure and to look for signs of hypotension as well as to use caution with patients who have impaired hepatic or renal function.

What is the Status of the Current Lawsuits?

There are many lawsuits that are currently being combined to be heard before a judge. This process can take a very long time and new cases are brought to light regularly due to the long duration of the sale of these contaminated drugs. As of right now, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to finalize the details of these cases and people who are involved in these class action suits might still have to wait years for a result.

This does not mean that the lawsuits will not be concluded at some point, but people who have responded to class-action lawsuit inquiries should not think that they will have a check in hand within a few months. There is always a lot of work that must be done to collect all the documentation, testimony, and more of the people involved in such large legal processes which is why patience is required when involved with this kind of legal case.

Many people believe that their own trial will be completed independently of the class-action cases, but this might also not be the case. These legal proceedings tend to be handled within the same timeframe to try and make sure that everyone is taken care of fairly who is involved in both the class action suits and independent suits.

Was Every Batch of Valsartan Bad in 2018?

Not every batch of this medication were bad during 2018. After the recalls, Novartis, who makes the medication, issued a statement that recalled Valsartan from outside the US. This made sure that the batches of medications that were given out to patients later in the year were free from contamination.

The key factor that has led to so many lawsuits in the US, is that half of the US supply came from Zhejiang Huahai, which was the source of the faulty versions of the drug. There has since been information that was released that stated that another cancer-causing substance named N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDEA) is present in those batches and other batches of Valsartan from the Chinese manufacturer.

A grand total of 1,114 medications in the angiotensin receptor blocker group were pulled from shelves due to the recall. This included Valsartan, Irbesartan and Losartan. These were all recalled in June of 2019. There are various companies that are involved in the lawsuit at this time including

•     Hetero Labs Ltd.
•     Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
•     Prinston Pharmaceutical Inc.
•     Solco Healthcare, U.S. LLC
•     Major Pharmaceuticals
•     Camber Pharmaceuticals Inc.
•     NuCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
•     A-S Medication Solutions LLC
•     Preferred Pharmaceuticals
•     RemedyRepack Inc.
•     AvKARE Inc.
•     Northwind Pharmaceuticals
•     Bryant Ranch Prepack Inc.

These are the drugmakers, but Throggs Neck Pharmacy and Walgreens are also implicated in the complaints.

What Should You Expect if You have Filed A Lawsuit for Injuries caused by Valsartan?

You might have a lot of questions if you have realized that you were given Valsartan that was contaminated. You should make sure that you take care of all of these steps and considerations if you know that you have taken this medication and that you have been harmed or may have been harmed.

•     Keep your medications and pill bottles for evidence and for testing
•     Contact a product-liability lawyer with personal injury experience
•     Your lawyer will prepare your lawsuit and determine what awards you can ask for
•     There are statutes in each state for the filing time to start legal proceedings for this kind of injury, so make sure that you do not delay.

Your attorney will make sure that your case is presented correctly and that your pain and suffering and your medical bills are considered in the settlement award that you are asking for. You might also become involved with some of the class action suits at this juncture if your case details match up with the class action details.

You will need to be prepared to provide medical records, medical bills, your current medications, and the bottles and other drug information from the tainted medications if you have them. You will be asked when you first experienced side effects and you will probably need to provide information about the doctor and clinic who diagnosed you. They may be called to testify in the case.

If you are unable to work, have reduced quality of life, or have other health concerns that have inhibited your ability to care for yourself after you were diagnosed with cancer and experienced other side effects from the contaminated Valsartan, your lawyer will work hard to get you compensation for these needs. You cannot get the help that you need without representation and your lawyer will make sure that your case is considered during the trial for the makers of this drug.