Press Release
Personal Injury Lawsuit Filed Against Baxter
For Near Fatal Adverse Reaction From Contaminated Heparin Drug
Camden, New Jersey, April 3, 2008 – Plaintiff’s
counsel announced today that a personal injury lawsuit against Baxter Healthcare
for a near fatal adverse reaction from its contaminated prescription drug
Heparin was filed in federal court in New Jersey, where Baxter Healthcare,
a division of Baxter International, manufactured and marketed Heparin.
The claimant seeks damages for physical pain and medical expenses, as well
as punitive damages to deter Baxter from similar wrongdoing in the future.
The FDA has reported that over a score of deaths and
hundreds of severe allergic reactions have been linked to contaminated
Heparin. On March 19, 2008, the FDA announced that the active ingredient
in Heparin sold by Baxter was contaminated at the Chinese manufacturing
facilities, with a chemically altered form of chondroitin sulfate, a dietary
supplement made from animal cartilage that is widely used to treat joint
pain.
"Prescription drug manufacturers have a duty to
produce products that are safe and free of dangerous ingredients," stated
Wendy R. Fleishman of the New York City office of the national plaintiffs'
law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. "Only through
a lawsuit or otherwise making a claim against Baxter can patients obtain
compensation for their injuries. The American public needs the drug companies,
like Baxter, to take responsibility for the safety of their products --
especially those like Heparin, which are manufactured in part in China."
"The complaint charges Baxter with selling Heparin
that was defective due to contamination and inadequately inspecting its
product," noted Seth R. Lesser of the Locks Law Firm, PLLC, and co-plaintiff's
counsel. "Baxter failed to undertake adequate testing that would
have shown that its Heparin posed a life-threatening risk to patients."
Information for Heparin Patients
The law in most states provides several personal injury
claims for persons who have been seriously injured due to defective prescription
drugs and treatments. These claims include strict liability for a defective
product, failure to warn, and negligence. If you would like to learn more
about the Heparin recall and your legal rights, please visit www.personalinjurylawyeramerica.com/medical/heparin.htm.
Injured patients and the families of loved ones who died
are also welcome to call plaintiffs' counsel toll-free at 1-800-541-7358
and ask to speak to attorney Heather A. Foster of Lieff Cabraser.
Resources for Reporters
Reporters who wish to receive a copy of the complaint
are welcome to contact Brandan de Coteau of Lieff Cabraser at bdecoteau@lchb.com or (415) 956-1000.
About Plaintiff's Counsel
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a fifty-plus
attorney law firm that has represented plaintiffs nationwide since 1972.
The firm has offices in New York, San Francisco and Nashville. Lieff Cabraser
represents plaintiffs in class and group actions and in individual lawsuits
in cases involving substantial losses. For the last five years, the National
Law Journal has selected Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs'
law firms in the nation. Learn more at www.lieffcabraser.com.
With 26 lawyers and a staff of over one hundred in its
New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey offices, Locks Law Firm, PLLC is
committed to obtaining justice for its clients and achieving a safer society
by seeking jury verdicts that take the profit out of the manufacture of
defective products and careless conduct. The firm has more than four decades
of experience in litigation involving numerous types of personal injury
and class action and consumer fraud claims. Learn more at www.lockslaw.com.
Source/Contact:
Wendy R. Fleishman
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
(212)
838-3333
Seth R. Lesser
Locks Law Firm, PLLC
(888) 855-3692 / (856)-663-8200
Notice: Lieff Cabraser attorneys provide legal advice and practice law for clients in
federal district courts throughout the United States and in state courts where we are
licensed to practice. Please read our disclaimer.
Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP.
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