A mother-daughter pair has filed a gadolinium lawsuit, alleging that they both have retained the metal in their body after having gadolinium contrast agents used during MRIs.

Plaintiffs Ingeborg K. and Karin K. recently filed a joint gadolinium lawsuit against Bayer and numerous other pharmaceutical companies, alleging that they have retained gadolinium in their bodies following the use of contrast agents during MRIs.

Gadolinium is a heavy metal which does not occur naturally in the human body. The metal is often used to enhance the images from an MRI, which used magnetic fields to create detailed pictures of internal organs.

Linear gadolinium based contrast agents reportedly have weak chemical bonds, making them prone to breaking down and creating a risk for toxicity. Although the defendants allegedly portray these contrast agents as safe, the metal can reportedly be retained in the brain, heart, liver, kidney, bones and skin.

“Contrary to the Defendant’s promotion of [gadolinium based contrast agents] as being benign contrast agents that harmlessly exit the body shortly after administration in patients with normal kidney function, [Ingeborg] and [Karin] both continue to have retained gadolinium in their bodies, years after being administered the [gadolinium based contrast agents],” the gadolinium lawsuit claims.

According to the gadolinium lawsuit, the only patients warned about gadolinium retention are those with compromised kidney function. Since Ingeborg and Karin’s kidneys are healthy and functional, they were allegedly unwarned about the potential risk of gadolinium retention.

Gadolinium retention, which is allegedly “a progressive condition for which there is no known cure”, can allegedly cause fibrosis in organs, skin and bones. The gadolinium lawsuit claims that Bayer and other manufacturers of gadolinium based contrast agents have known about the risk for decades, but have chosen to conceal the information from consumers and physicians.

“The manufacturers of the linear [gadolinium based contrast agents] have known since the 1980s that their drugs could cause retention of toxic gadolinium,” the gadolinium lawsuit states. “But their claims to the public and healthcare providers have been misleading and false.”

In recent years, researchers and consumers have formed advocacy groups to lobby for more warnings on gadolinium labels. In May 2018, after years of allegedly knowing the risks, gadolinium manufacturers including Bayer issued a joint statement acknowledging that risks of gadolinium retention, warning consumers of the risks, and issuing new label changes to include warnings for individuals with normal kidney function.

Until the new warnings and research was released, many individuals did not know about the risks, meaning they could not make informed decisions.

“The vast majority of the medical community was not aware, until recently, of any disease that was associated with gadolinium other than NSF, which was defined as only occurring in patients with renal failure,” the gadolinium lawsuit claims.

Ingeborg and Karin aim to hold Bayer and other manufacturers accountable for not warning patients and physicians about the risks associated with their products. The gadolinium lawsuit seeks non-economic damages, economic damages, punitive damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The Gadolinium Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-01424-APG-GWF in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.