Bayer HealthCare is facing a new gadolinium toxicity lawsuit, which was recently filed by a man from California alleging he suffered serious side effects after undergoing an MRI exam.

The gadolinium toxicity lawsuit states that the claimant suffered serious adverse reactions to the gadolinium-based contrast fluid that was used in the MRI exam.

Plaintiff Joseph L. filed this gadolinium toxicity lawsuit soon after discovering Bayer HealthCare may have known about the potentially dangerous nature of the gadolinium based contrast fluid, but failed to warn the public.

Gadolinium Use

According to the gadolinium toxicity lawsuit, Joseph underwent an MRI exam and was injected with the linear gadolinium based contrast fluid. While the contrast fluid should have eventually been flushed out of his body, Joseph alleges the gadolinium contrast reportedly remained in his body long after the MRI exam.

According to the gadolinium toxicity lawsuit, the residual gadolinium had allegedly caused fibrosis in his organs, skin, and bones, along with being stuck in the neurons of his brain.

Joseph soon suffered a number of other painful symptoms including severe pain, red blotches and swelling, muscle spasms in the left hand, vomiting, nausea, cognitive problems, and silvery plaque patches and gray scaling on the knees.

The gadolinium toxicity lawsuit states that the symptoms Joseph suffered have become associated with patients with normal kidney function and had gadolinium implemented, which can occur hours to months after the contrast fluid enters the body.

It is important to note that Joseph had normal kidney function at the time he was injected with the gadolinium based contrast fluid, but he still suffered the effects of gadolinium toxicity.

Overview of Gadolinium Toxicity Effects

Gadolinium toxicity occurs when the metal based contrast fluid stays inside the body. Many patients believe gadolinium causes severe biological reactions.

Gadolinium is a heavy metal this commonly used in MRI contrast fluids for its magnetic qualities. This contrast fluid helps enhance the sharpness on the diagnostic images produced, which helps doctors better examine muscles, bones, and tissue. With the magnetic qualities making this contrast so easy to see, medical diagnoses like cancer or infection can be diagnosed more efficiently.

The FDA issued a public warning regarding this correlation in December 2017, stating that some patients who had received gadolinium based contrast may retain the gadolinium in their bodies for months or even years after the MRI procedure.

The FDA further stated that gadolinium toxicity can sometimes cause the rare condition nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney problems. The FDA has also received injury reports indicating that multi-organ failure has occurred in patients with normal kidney function.

Joseph claims that even though gadolinium toxicity can be devastating for patients, the manufacturer allegedly failed to warn the general public. At all times relevant, Joseph and his physician had relied on the product information provided by Bayer HealthCare and had no reason to believe he was at risk for any serious complications.

Joseph is filing this gadolinium toxicity lawsuit seeking multiple damages, including counts of negligence and failure to warn. The Gadolinium Toxicity Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-04146-LB, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California.