Valsartan Lawsuit

Valsartan Lawsuit Updates

Motion Seeks Approval for Qualified Settlement Fund

Plaintiffs’ lawyers in the Valsartan, Losartan, and Irbesartan MDL filed a motion seeking court approval to establish a Qualified Settlement Fund (QSF) for the Hetero settlement. The QSF will manage and distribute settlement funds, ensuring compliance with Section 468B of the Internal Revenue Code. EAG Gulf Coast, LLC will administer the fund, while Western Alliance Bank will act as custodian. The court will oversee the fund, with quarterly statements tracking financial activity. The motion also proposes structured settlements for attorney fees and investments in low-risk instruments. The fund will be closed once all distributions are completed.

01/16/25

Court Finalizes Second Wave of Bellwether Cases

The court has officially selected five cases for the second wave of bellwether trials, with the final roster confirmed on December 31, 2024. The designated cases include Dufrene (1:19-cv-15633), Garcia (1:20-cv-07957), Smalls (1:20-cv-08199), Estate of Meeks (1:19-cv-16209), and Suits (20-cv-06547). This selection follows a tentative agreement between both parties earlier in December. Any formal objections must be raised during the scheduled status conference on January 9, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., which will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. These cases will play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of the broader litigation.

01/06/25

Federal Judge Confirms Bellwether Trials

On December 16, 2024, the federal judge overseeing the Valsartan litigation confirmed the selection of five lawsuits for the second round of bellwether trials in multidistrict litigation (MDL 2875). Bellwether trials serve as test cases for other lawsuits in the MDL, helping predict potential outcomes. MDL 2875 involves plaintiffs who were harmed by NDMA contamination in Valsartan and other medications. These five trials are critical as their results may influence the direction of future cases within the MDL.

12/20/24

Key Deadlines Set

On December 4, 2024, Judge Renee Bumb, overseeing the Valsartan MDL, set important deadlines to move the lawsuit forward. Fact discovery for individual cases must be completed by February 14, 2025. Plaintiffs also have until February 28, 2025, to select experts who will support their legal arguments. These deadlines are crucial for progressing the case toward the next stage, as both parties gather necessary information and evidence to prepare for trial.

12/10/24

About The Valsartan Lawsuits

People across the nation are joining class action lawsuits—and filing individual complaints—after taking valsartan-containing drugs contaminated with potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals.

Valsartan is a generic drug that, for years, was regarded as a safe and effective treatment for high blood pressure, kidney disease, and heart failure. However, a flawed manufacturing process led to hundreds of batches of the medication being contaminated with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), probable human carcinogens.

Though the catastrophic error was discovered and the drugs were recalled in 2018, the process causing the contamination had been used since around 2012—meaning countless patients were exposed prior to the recall.

If you or a loved one took a valsartan-containing medication between 2012 and 2018 and developed cancer or another serious illness, you may be eligible to take legal action. Those who took the drug but do not have cancer may still qualify to join a class action lawsuit. Read on to learn more.

What Is Valsartan?

Valsartan is an active ingredient used in many prescription drugs. It is classified as an Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) and is intended to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure. Patients may be prescribed the drug to improve survival following a heart attack, and it may also be used to protect the kidneys in certain patients.

Brand-name drugs containing valsartan include:

Byvalson
Diovan (single-ingredient)
Diovan HCT
Entresto
Exforge
Exforge HCT
Prexxartan (single-ingredient)
Valturna
Vyduo

Many generic drugs also contain valsartan, including ones that were recalled for NDMA and NDEA contamination:

Amlodipine and valsartan
Amlodipine, valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ)
Valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ)
Valsartan

Why Is Valsartan Dangerous?

Though, like any drug, valsartan can cause side effects, the medication itself isn’t known to pose a cancer risk. Instead, the dangers arose from a faulty manufacturing process employed by China-based manufacturer Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical, a company named in the lawsuits.

Around 2012, Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical began producing valsartan using a sodium-azide-based synthesis to cut costs and improve manufacturing efficiency. Disturbingly, this method resulted in chemical reactions that formed probable carcinogens NDMA and NDEA.

In a display of true negligence, Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical did not discover the contamination until mid-2018, when a routine quality test revealed the presence of NDMA (further tests also detected NDEA). They reported their findings to regulatory agencies like the FDA, resulting in the agency’s widespread recalls of valsartan-containing drugs beginning later that year.

Sadly, by that point, numerous contaminated batches of valsartan had already been distributed to and consumed by unknowing patients—likely for years.

Though each contaminated dose contained only small amounts of NDMA or NDEA, the risk to patients is still great since valsartan is frequently used in maintenance drugs intended to be taken routinely (often every day). This means that patients who took contaminated valsartan over an extended period may have been exposed to hazardous levels of carcinogens, increasing their cancer risk—and, in some cases, even causing them to develop cancer.

Who Qualifies For The Valsartan Lawsuits?

Eligibility for the valsartan lawsuits depends on several requirements. You may qualify to join if:

You took a contaminated valsartan drug for at least six months between 2012 and 2018.
You later developed cancer or other serious health problems confirmed by medical records to be linked to valsartan.

Additionally, you must meet the following requirements:

You took one or more contaminated valsartan drugs (valsartan, valsartan + HCTZ, valsartan + amlodipine, or valsartan + HCTZ + amlodipine), and
You used the valsartan drug(s) for at least six months prior to your cancer diagnosis.

You may also qualify if you've developed cancer(s) such as the following:

Colorectal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Intestinal cancer
Leukemia
Liver cancer
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Small intestine cancer
Stomach cancer
Kidney cancer
Bladder cancer

The best way to determine your eligibility to bring an individual lawsuit or join a class action is by speaking with a qualified attorney.

How To Know If You Took Contaminated Drugs?

Though some generic valsartan-containing drugs were contaminated with NDMA and NDEA and later recalled, not all medications or batches were affected. You can find out if your medication was recalled by utilizing the FDA’s Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) recall page. Note that certain other ARB drugs, including losartan and irbesartan, have also been recalled due to contamination.

Here’s how to use the FDA’s recall page:

Open the FDA recall page here.
Look at your medication label, which lists the drug name, dosage, manufacturer, National Drug Code (NDC), expiration date, and lot number.
Search for your medication by typing one of the identifiers you found on the label into the recall page’s “Search” bar (i.e., “Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc.”).
Compare the rest of the information on the recall page entry with the drug information from your label to ensure it matches.

If you still have questions, your pharmacist should be able to verify if your medication was part of the recall. You can also contact the FDA’s Division of Drug Information (DDI) for verification and more information.

If you did take a recalled ARB medication, you may consider speaking with a qualified attorney, who can inform you of your legal rights. We recommend filling out the form at the top of this page to request a free case evaluation from an attorney in our network.

What Do The Lawsuits Allege?

The valsartan lawsuits make serious allegations against numerous drug manufacturers and distributors, such as:

Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals
A-S Medication Solutions LLC
Aurobindo Pharma
AvKARE Inc.
Bryant Ranch Prepack Inc.
Hetero Labs
Major Pharmaceuticals
Mylan Pharmaceuticals
Northwind Pharmaceuticals
NuCare Pharmaceuticals
Preferred Pharmaceuticals
RemedyRepack Inc.
Rising Pharmaceuticals
Solco Healthcare LLC
Teva Pharmaceuticals
Torrent Pharmaceuticals

Allegations made in the lawsuits include that these companies:

Did not follow safety standards or use reasonable care while making and testing their drugs
Produced medications that were inherently unsafe due to their flawed design
Neglected to warn patients and doctors of the risks of the faulty drugs
Failed to include a comprehensive list of ingredients on drug labels
Falsely advertised and deceptively marketed their medications to increase profits without regard to patient health

Larry Tack is one such patient who filed a valsartan lawsuit. He began taking the drug in April 2015 to help treat his high blood pressure, a choice he and his doctors made based on its purported benefits and seemingly reliable safety profile. Naturally believing he could trust the manufacturer and distributor information, he relied on the medication for more than two years.

Tragically, Tack was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in June 2017. He also learned he had liver cancer that September. Following the FDA’s 2018 recalls, he became convinced that valsartan had caused his cancers.

Despite the illness’s harrowing mental and physical toll, Tack was determined to seek justice, so he sought the help of an experienced legal team, who filed a lawsuit on his and his wife’s behalf. Tack’s case is still pending, and he’s hopeful that a favorable outcome will serve as a warning to large corporations that put profits over safety.

How Do I File A Lawsuit?

If you were harmed by contaminated valsartan, you may be interested in learning about your legal options. The best way to get started is by speaking with a lawyer who can evaluate your eligibility, determine filing deadlines, and help you gather evidence for your case.

You’ll be interested to know that most attorneys working on these cases require no upfront payment. Instead, you’d pay a portion of your settlement or recovery if your case is successful.

You have a right to answers from the companies that caused you harm, but you don’t have to demand them alone. Attorneys in the OCA network are standing by to fight for the justice you deserve. Complete the form at the top of the page today to be connected with an attorney.