In Himes v. Somatics, LLC, No. S273887, 2024 WL 3059637 (Cal. June 20, 2024), the Supreme Court of California delivered a win to the defense, upholding the learned intermediary doctrine in cases involving prescription drugs...more
Suboxone is a medication used to treat opioid addiction, containing buprenorphine and naloxone. While Suboxone is highly effective in helping individuals overcome opioid dependence, there have been concerns about its...more
Massachusetts federal and state courts issued several important product liability decisions in 2023. Nutter’s Product Liability practice group reviewed these cases and report on their significant holdings as follows ...more
MASSACHUSETTS - First Circuit Holds Failure-To-Warn Claims Against Drug Manufacturer Preempted By Federal Food, Drug, And Cosmetic Act Because Animal Studies Cited By Plaintiffs Did Not Demonstrate Risks Beyond Those In...more
MASSACHUSETTS - Massachusetts Federal Court Holds State Law Claims Alleging Misleading “Rapid Release” Labeling Of OTC Acetaminophen Tablets Preempted By Federal Food, Drug, And Cosmetic Act, As Tablets’ Dissolution Rate...more
Zofran (ondansetron) has often been used to combat nausea during pregnancy. It has never been approved by the FDA for that indication, but clinical experience has not supported an association with pregnancy-related risks –...more
As we ring in the new year, it is time once again to reflect on some of the most significant legal developments for drug and device companies this year. The list below is by no means exhaustive (who could forget the Rule 702...more
How demanding is the causation standard in a California failure to warn claim when a learned intermediary testifies that he would have read and incorporated more stringent warnings if they had been available? Is the plaintiff...more
Early last year, the In re: Incretin-Based Therapies MDL court held that the plaintiffs’ warnings claims were preempted, excluded plaintiffs’ general causation experts, and granted summary judgment to all defendants on dual...more
We have written before about the Supreme Court’s impossibility preemption decision, Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht, 139 S. Ct. 1668 (2019) (Albrecht) (here, here, here, and here), highlighting some open questions and...more
Earnest v. Sanofi U.S. Services et al, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, No. 20-30184 (Feb. 10, 2022) - The plaintiff sued Sanofi U.S. Services, Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis U.S., LLC in the Eastern District...more
Massachusetts federal and state courts issued several important product liability decisions in 2021. Nutter’s Product Liability practice group reviewed these cases and report on their significant holdings as follows...more
The learned intermediary doctrine is not sexy. Its application doesn’t require depositions or a jury trial. Look no further than its name: it’s a legal doctrine. Nevertheless, drug and device manufacturers still face a...more
By the time the COVID-19 pandemic began, society was well into the so-called “Digital Age,” relying heavily on electronic communications, apps, websites, and the like to go about daily activities. Everything from ordering...more
Does the learned intermediary doctrine apply in the context of a clinical trial? According to the Southern District of Texas, it does. The case in question is Butler et al. v. Juno Therapeutics, Inc., a tragic case...more
Some product liability suits are dead on arrival. At least, that is the position the Fifth Circuit took late last week in affirming the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff’s suit against a collection of generic and brand-name...more
A judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida presiding over the In Re: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation multidistrict litigation, MDL No. 2924, has held that state labeling...more
Drug warning labels must comply with federal regulations and receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) before going to market. Therefore, manufacturers may argue that state law actions related to the...more
Litigation Update - On January 30, 2020, class action, consumer protection and pharmaceutical lawyers from around the country will be in federal court in Tampa, Florida to argue before a panel of federal judges whether...more
On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has in turn remanded the case to the district court to determine whether state law claims are preempted by federal law in the 500+...more
By now, you’ve probably read reports of the $8 billion punitive verdict against Johnson & Johnson in an individual case alleging failure to warn that young men using its antipsychotic drug Risperdal could develop breasts. ...more
Welcome to the third 2019 issue of Product Lines – our quarterly e-newsletter that focuses on toxic torts and products liability issues.... In This Edition: - Vitamin E Found in Cannabis-Containing Vape Products Linked...more
For at least two decades, Pennsylvania law has recognized an exemption from strict liability for prescription drug manufacturers based on the state Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Restatement (Second) of Torts Sec. 402A...more
For some long-awaited events, a little time and distance can add a measure of clarity. Not always – many still are processing the Game of Thrones finale, with no end in sight. But over the past few weeks pharmaceutical...more
In a trio of recent decisions arising out of cases alleging that an antipsychotic medication, Risperdal, and its generic, risperidone, had caused gynecomastia (breast tissue growth) in men, the United States District Court...more