A man claims that he developed gastrointestinal cancer after taking valsartan, a Diovan generic drug used to treat high blood pressure. He says that his cancer was caused by a possibly carcinogenic contaminant introduced into valsartan during its manufacturing process.

He aims to hold the drug’s makers accountable for his injuries, claiming the valsartan manufacturers were negligent.

Plaintiff Curtis L. says that between February 2016 and November 2019, he was prescribed and took valsartan, the Diovan generic drug to treat high blood pressure. Allegedly, he took valsartan that was contaminated with a possible carcinogen, NDMA or NDEA, or other nitrosamines, during the manufacturing process. He says that the valsartan he took was later included in a recall of the drug issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA also released a list of safe valsartan drugs, but it was too late for Curtis.

Valsartan Lawsuit

Curtis aims to hold Prinston Pharmaceutical Inc., Healthcare US, Solco Healthcare US LLC, Haihai US Inc., the producers of the drug, accountable for his injuries. He also aims to hold Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co., the manufacturer where the drug was allegedly contaminated with NDMA or NDEA, accountable for his injuries.

Curtis claims that he was diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer on or around June 15, 2018. Allegedly, he underwent a laparoscopic procedure to remove a portion of his small intestine and a mass within it. He claims that because of the cancer, which he says was caused by the contaminated valsartan, he developed “permanent and disabling injuries.”

Allegedly, Curtis would not have consented to taking valsartan had he known or been informed of the increased risks associated with taking the drug after it had been contaminated with NDMA or NDEA. He claims that he relied on the makers’ advertisements of the Diovan generic drug, which represented it as safe.

Valsartan Cancer

Curtis said that neither he nor his physicians knew of the cancer risk allegedly associated with taking valsartan. Allegedly, the drug’s makers knew or should have known of the dangers of taking a contaminated drug, but consciously chose not to inform Curtis or his doctors of the risks.

Curtis argues that he suffered a range of injuries from taking the contaminated valsartan, including physical injury from the cancer, emotional injury because of the toll his diagnosis took on his mental state, and economic injury because of medical costs related to his conditions and wages lost due to missed work.

According to Curtis, valsartan, the Diovan generic drug, was contaminated with the possible human carcinogens NDMA and NDEA.  He says the contaminant entered into the drugs after the Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. manufacturing plant in China changed its manufacturing processes, which enabled the drug to become contaminated.

As a result, the FDA announced a recall of the contaminated drug in an effort to protect patient health. The recall has been expanded as more information about the alleged contamination has become available.

Later, it was reportedly discovered that the contamination problem extended past the Chinese plant and was also a problem in a plant in India, and the recall was expanded. According to Curtis, the contamination was occurring over a number of years. The expanded valsartan recall was detailed by CVS Caremark and other drug news sources. 

WebMD notes that the contamination by NDMA and NDEA may have affected a number of drugs, not just valsartan. 

The Valsartan Contamination Gastrointestinal Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 1:19-cv-12208-RBK-JS, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.