New NaturaLyte Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Boston

New NaturaLyte Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Boston

By John Curran

Fresenius Medical Care sold and used kidney dialysis chemicals linked to heart failure and cardiac side effects. Now they are the subject of a new wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bettye Alexander on behalf of her husband. She says that Fresenius knew or should have known of the risks involved with the chemicals GranuFlo and NaturaLyte, but failed to warn the public.

Her attorney notes that Fresenius circulated a now infamous internal memo in November 2011 that informed its own dialysis clinics that 900 people had died from GranuFlo and NaturaLyte overdoses. However, it is unclear when Fresenius Medical Care would have warned other dialysis treatment providers since the memo was not leaked to the public until March 2012.

Bettye Alexander says that had her husband Gary known of the risks related to these drugs he likely would have avoided using them in treatment, along with many others who suffered fatal consequences. However while many have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fresenius, kidney dialysis patients are often in a weakened state and their families may not realize that the chemicals could have caused GranuFlo heart failure and related side effects.

More importantly, while Fresenius has the largest number of kidney dialysis centers, it sold these chemicals to other treatment facilities run by DaVita and others. These companies are also the subject of lawsuits. Since the problems are caused by increased levels of bicarbonates, NaturaLyte lawsuit attorneys say that dialysis technicians should have been able to notice these problems.

Their rationale is that medical research has shown for decades that increased levels of bicarbonates can lead to heart problems, even if it may be helpful in small doses. Technicians already have to monitor other chemicals, so whether they were employed by Fresenius or another company, plaintiffs have argued that there should have been a protocol that included tests for bicarbonates.

Fortunately, kidney dialysis patients do not have to worry about these risks anymore after the FDA issued a Class 1 recall of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte in March 2012. Unfortunately, that was too late for many patients dealing with kidney failure. Now some of their families are looking for answers in the court system. If you or someone you know has dealt with these problems, get educated.

Visit the Kidney Dialysis Heart Attack, GranuFlo & NaturaLyte Recall Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation to get a free legal consultation about your options. Cases are already being consolidated, meaning plaintiffs are one step closer to the legal remedy their claim merits, so act now.