A new lawsuit alleges the plaintiff developed esophageal cancer because of contaminated valsartan medication.

Plaintiff Priscila K. argues that the manufacturing plant responsible for this generic drug failed to prevent the problems linked to contamination. An investigation of the plants reportedly found that the medicines were contaminated with NDEA and NDMA, which can cause cancer.

According to the valsartan drug lawsuit, the plaintiff was prescribed generic valsartan for the purpose of treating high blood pressure starting in June 2017. The medication ingested by the plaintiff, according to the lawsuit, was allegedly manufactured by the China-based defendants and subject to the recall of valsartan announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A lab in India was also added to the recall.

In January 2018, Priscila says, she was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. She alleges that it was her ingestion of contaminated valsartan medication that caused her to suffer and receive a cancer diagnosis. She says that her cancer diagnosis also caused severe and permanent injuries.

She says that if she had known about the potential contamination of the medication prior to taking it, that she would have considered her options and possibly chosen to take a different drug.

Valsartan and Safety Risks

Valsartan is used to treat blood pressure as well as heart failure and has been used to improve the chances of a patient living longer after going through a heart attack.

The plaintiff, as well as her physicians, allegedly relied on the defendant’s representations about the safety and effectiveness of valsartan. But the manufacturer put patients at risk by failing to disclose risks of contamination that could potentially cause cancer, Priscilla claims.

The valsartan medication lawsuit says that the plaintiff and her doctors chose to use valsartan based on the benefits and risks that were disclosed to them by the manufacturer. They allegedly would have made a different choice if the true benefits and risks had been presented appropriately.

Valsartan belongs to a class of medications known as angiotensin receptor blocker and allows blood to flow more easily by relaxing blood vessels. Unfortunately, however, the recall of valsartan drugs put patients on notice about the possibility of contamination with NDMA and NDEA. These contaminants can potentially cause cancer.

In January 2019, the Food and Drug Administration began warning about shortages due to recalls of this popular blood pressure medication. Dozens of batches of different types of valsartan drugs used for the purposes of treating high blood pressure were recalled by the FDA because of the possibility of the cancer-causing chemical inside.

The FDA said that as a result of these numerous recalls there is now a nationwide shortage of the popularly prescribed valsartan treatment and that the ongoing recalls could also influence the volume of other medications available for the treatment of high blood pressure.

The Valsartan Medication Lawsuit is Case No. 2:19-cv-00322-JCZ-MBN, in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.