A woman from Tennessee recently filed legal action against Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals and several generic drug manufacturers in the United States alleging wrongful death from valsartan cancer.

The woman’s valsartan lawsuit alleges the defendant companies manufactured, produced, and sold contaminated medication stocks to the public, which allegedly resulted in the death of the claimant’s loved one.

Plaintiff Mary W. filed this valsartan lawsuit on behalf of her loved one Peggy W., who allegedly purchased and used the generic hypertension medication supplied by either Prinston Pharmaceutical, Solco Healthcare, or Torrent Pharmaceutical.

According to the claim, Peggy had been prescribed valsartan to treat high blood pressure from July 2014 and February 2018 and had taken the medication according to medication instructions and her physician’s advice.

Valsartan is the generic counterpart to Diovan and is part of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) class of drugs. The blood pressure drug works by relaxing constriction in blood vessels for easier circulation.

Valsartan is manufactured and produced by various generic manufacturers including Prinston and Solco, and is popularly used to treat hypertension and high blood pressure in adult and pediatric patients.

During the course of the valsartan treatment, Peggy allegedly developed colorectal cancer and was diagnosed with the disease on March 7, 2018. Peggy later died from this disease on May 9, 2018, with Mary filing legal action soon after discovering the recent valsartan recall.

Not only were valsartan stocks recalled in the United States, but multiple countries in Europe did the same due to the concerns surrounding a potential NDMA contamination.

Overview of Valsartan NDMA Contamination

The NDMA (N-nitrosodimethlyamine) contamination was first reported by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in May 2018, which announced that valsartan stocks sourced from Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals plant in China had traces of the impurity. NDMA is a yellow, odorless liquid that is often produced as a manufacturing byproduct, and is considered a potential carcinogen for humans.

Health officials warn that too much NDMA exposure could have serious side effects, making the alleged contamination very troubling. The FDA warned against the valsartan NDMA contamination in July 2018, stating it had asked three manufacturers of the medication to recall their stock from the United States. Pharmacies were also asked to take potentially contaminated medications from their inventories and return them to their manufacturers.

According to the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the NDMA contamination was most likely caused by a manufacturing change in the Zhejiang Huahai plant in 2012. Contaminated medication stock may have been on the market for several years, which means that patients may have been exposed and suffered from valsartan cancer.

Mary alleges Peggy would not have taken the medication if she had known about the potential risk of valsartan cancer, and that Peggy had no way of knowing about the alleged NDMA contamination of valsartan at the time it was prescribed.

At all times relevant, Peggy and her physician had relied on the marketing materials and product information provided by the Solco and the other drug companies. Mary is seeking multiple damages in her valsartan lawsuit, including counts of negligence, failure to warn, and wrongful death.

This Valsartan Lawsuit is Case No. 4:19-cv-00022, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Tennessee.