U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler, presiding over all federal valsartan lawsuits, issued an order on February 25, to stay all pending deadlines entered in these cases before the valsartan multidistrict litigation (MDL) was established. The stay will remain effective until any further orders are issued at the end of an initial case management conference scheduled for March 27.
The stay request was filed by generic drug makers to suspend or vacate all deadlines established before the formation of the federal MDL. The product liability claims and class actions filed against the drug makers alleged that the generic versions of the hypertension medicine contained cancer-causing chemicals, including N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA). The complaints also involved claims that the patients were diagnosed with liver cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, and other digestive tract cancers due to the consumption of tainted medicines.
If the manufacturers are unsuccessful in reaching on a settlement agreement or resolution for the litigation, individual cases might be remanded back to the U.S. District Court for a future trial date.
