On Monday, a petition was filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), requesting consolidation of Belviq cancer claims filed by the former users of the weight loss drug.
According to the April 12 petition, the plaintiff stated that currently there are at least 13 Belviq cancer lawsuits pending in 12 different U.S. District Courts nationwide. The petition also noted that the number of cases filed across the country is likely to grow in the coming months.
Lorcaserin, marketed under the brand name Belviq, is a prescription weight loss drug developed to treat obesity. The diet drug was developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals, and the rights were sold to the Japanese drugmaker, Eisai Inc., in 2017.
In February, Eisai Inc. voluntarily announced a Belviq recall after receiving safety communication from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recall was based on a clinical study that showed an increase in the occurrence of certain cancers among Belviq users.
The former users of the drug are filing complaints to seek reimbursements for the premium price paid for the recalled diet drug, as well as funding for medical monitoring that they would require to detect cancer that might surface months or even years after last exposure.
A group of plaintiffs joined together and filed the motion to transfer for the centralization of all the nationwide pending cases in the Eastern District of Louisiana for discovery and pretrial proceedings.
The plaintiffs have noted that the consolidation of all the lawsuits would help avoid duplicative discovery, prevent contradictory rulings from different judges, and serve the convenience of the parties, witnesses, and the courts.
A hearing will be scheduled this summer to hear oral arguments on the motion, including any response filed by the drugmaker to determine whether centralization is feasible at this early stage of the litigation and to find the most appropriate forum for the pretrial proceedings.
