Personal Injury Law

Settlement of Some Magnevist Lawsuits

By Jamie Sheller

The German drugmaker Bayer has been defending itself against lawsuits over its contrast agent Magnevist. Recently, Bayer agreed to settle some of the cases out of court, without admitting liability. Magnevist is a gadolinium-based contrast agent used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Gadolinium contrast dyes came to the market in the 1980's. Magnevist and other gadolinium based contrast agents have been linked to a potentially fatal condition called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). NSF causes large areas of hardened skin, damaged joints and organs. Initially NSF was thought to be a skin condition, but it is now known to potentially affect all organs of the body. In 2007, the FDA ruled that all gadolinium-based contrast agents should carry strong NSF warnings, and a black box warning was added to the products' labels.

Bayer faced 241 Magnevist lawsuits as of February 2009. Recently, Bayer confirmed that it was in settlement discussions for approximately 40 cases. According to one plaintiff's attorney, the cases being settled by Bayer are those where Magnevist was the only contrast agent used by the patient, and NSF has been confirmed by biopsy.

The lawyers at Sheller, P.C. are representing plaintiffs in Magnevist lawsuits. Contact Sheller if you or someone you know has been injured by Magnevist. Call us to discuss whether you have a potential legal claim for your injuries.

Full post as published by Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer on April 28, 2009 (boomark / email).