Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers | February 27, 2023 | Product Liability
Valsartan is a popular prescription drug intended to treat heart conditions, including hypertension. However, some of the ingredients in certain doses of Valsartan were contaminated with N-nitroso dimethylamine (NDMA), a known carcinogen.
The FDA and other global health agencies issued a safety recall of the affected Valsartan medication. A Valsartan MDL lawsuit has been filed in New Jersey, which includes all the federal court cases involving Valsartan. The multidistrict litigation currently represents 1,174 plaintiffs, though more are being added daily.
Certain individuals may be eligible to participate in the MDL lawsuit if they have developed a possible Valsartan-related illness. The deadline to file is near its end, though, so it’s imperative to act now.
December 2022 Update To the Valsartan MDL Lawsuit
In December 2022, an order was issued by Judge Robert B. Kugler, rejecting the defendant’s motion to reconsider the admissibility of certain evidence, an effort by the defense to get the case dismissed due to insufficient reliable causation proof. With the judge’s recent ruling, though, the cases are moving forward to trial without additional delays.
What Is Valsartan?
Valsartan is an antihypertensive drug that blocks angiotensin II, a peptide hormone responsible for constricting blood vessels that, in excess, can lead to high blood pressure.
Valsartan was developed by the drug manufacturer Novartis and approved for use in 1996 by the FDA, initially prescribed under the name Diovan. It has since proven to be more effective than similar drugs on the market for treating heart failure, post-myocardial infarction, and high blood pressure. It has also been prescribed to people who suffer ventricle dysfunction after a heart attack.
The drug has proven to be quite effective across both clinical trials and patient use, and it is now marketed as one of the country’s most widely prescribed blood pressure medications.
How Valsartan Was Contaminated With NDMA
Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals (ZHP) is a Chinese wholesale pharmaceutical producer that makes Valsartan and distributes it across the U.S. The company is the largest manufacturer of the Valsartan drug. Unfortunately, ZHP’s quality control testing in July 2018 revealed that several batches of the raw Valsartan the company produced were dangerously contaminated with NDMA.
Though unexpected, the contamination was determined to have been caused by a change in the manner in which the medication was synthesized. The contamination raised serious concerns, as the dangers of NDMA are well-known. The chemical is a byproduct of a chemical manufacturing process and is classified as a carcinogen. It has been demonstrated to cause liver, gastrointestinal, and kidney cancer in humans.
As soon as the contamination was discovered, ZHP promptly alerted safety officials and other pharmaceutical companies, leading to a recall of potentially contaminated Valsartan products in the U.S. and Europe.
Since the first incident, NDMA-contaminated Valsartan has been discovered in two other pharmaceutical wholesale labs, Hetero Labs Ltd. in India and Zhejiang Tianyu Pharmaceuticals of Taizhou, China.
Possible Injuries from the Contaminated Valsartan Medication
Not only is NDMA a known carcinogen, but it’s also incredibly poisonous at higher concentrations. Cases of severe liver damage and internal bleeding after ingesting contaminated Valsartan have been reported, as have many results of liver damage in animal trials.
Contaminated Valsartan may have been available to consumers for several years before the contamination was revealed, and because it is prescribed as “maintenance medication” and therefore intended for daily use, its cumulative effects over the long term can be remarkably dangerous.
Valsartan-caused cancers include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Kidney
- Liver
- Colorectal
- Gastrointestinal
Have You Been Affected By Contaminated Valsartan? Contact a Product Liability Attorney for Assistance
If you take, or have taken, Valsartan and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may be eligible for participation in the MDL lawsuit for product liability. Contact an experienced Vista product liability lawyer to learn more about your rights.
Contact the North County Product Liability Lawyers at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact the Vista Product Liability law firm of Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.
We serve in North County, CA and its surrounding areas:
Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers – Vista, CA Office
380 S Melrose Dr. Ste. 201
Vista, CA 92081
(619) 344-0360
Petrov Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers – Oceanside, CA Office
702 Civic Center Drive Ste. 105
Oceanside, CA, 92054
(619) 678-1016