A previous recall of certain valsartan products had already put patients and doctors on notice about contamination issues, but a new valsartan lawsuit is the first to claim that a patient did indeed develop cancer because of the contamination concerns.

Plaintiffs Leann G. and James G. have initiated a valsartan lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff’s cancer was developed due to contaminants in tainted valsartan.

The valsartan lawsuit was filed against multiple pharmaceutical companies alleging that these companies failed to warn consumers about the possible risks associated with valsartan contamination until it was too late.

The plaintiff in the valsartan lawsuit, Leann G., says that she was given valsartan that had a carcinogenic and liver damaging impurity associated with it.

Valsartan is typically given for the treatment of congestive heart failure or high blood pressure. The valsartan lawsuit goes on to detail that manufacturing defects led to certain generic formulations of prescriptions containing valsartan to have been contaminated with NDMA.

NDMA is a toxic pollutant that can lead to cancer and liver damage in humans and is currently classified by medical and scientific experts as a probable human carcinogen.

In July 2018, prior to the filing of this valsartan lawsuit, the Food and Drug Administration announced that there would a voluntary recall of several different brands of generic medications containing valsartan. The recall was brought about due to the presence of NDMA in those recalled products.

Previously, the European Medicines Agency explained that routine tests that were carried out at the manufacturing plant did not detect the NDMA impurity and that those experts believe NDMA was generated as a side product. It is possible, according to the valsartan lawsuit, that the contamination existed for nearly six years prior to being detected.

The plaintiff says in her valsartan lawsuit that she used this medication between 2013 and 2018. She alleges she received a diagnosis of breast cancer in September 2016 and suffered through chemotherapy, the removal of cancerous tissue, pain and suffering associated with having breast cancer, the increased likelihood of recurrence of breast cancer, and the costs of medications and treatments for that breast cancer which she alleges are damages that exceed $25,000.

She alleges that the contamination led to her diagnosis of breast cancer and filed the valsartan lawsuit as an effort to recover compensation for her injuries.

While valsartan on its own has not been connected to major health risks like the development of cancer, concerns over valsartan contamination have drawn connections between this generic medication and possible cancer diagnoses in patients.

It’s likely that more patients who could have developed cancer because of the contamination might not know until months or even years from now that their cancer could be linked to the use of this drug.

Not every product containing valsartan was affected by the recall, according to information shared by the FDA.

The Valsartan Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-04214-NKL filed in the 13th Judicial Circuit in Boon County, Missouri Circuit Court.