Valsartan Class Action

Updates

March 27, 2024:  The Court of Appeal has released its decision, denying the plaintiffs’ appeal.  Therefore, the class action has been dismissed.  The decision can be read here.  If you are considering bringing your own lawsuit for damages sustained as a result of taking the pills, you should consult with a personal injury firm.  Charney Lawyers is not taking on individual claims.

June 27, 2023:  The Court of Appeal will hear the appeal from the decision of the Superior Court dismissing the class action on this date.

May 31, 2022:   The motion for certification of this matter as a class action is proceeding on June 27 to 29, 2022 at the courthouse in Toronto.  You are not required to attend.  We will post a further update of the result of the motion for certification, which we expect will be forthcoming in about 1-2 months.

January 31, 2019: The Québec action in regards to Valsartan has been temporarily stayed pursuant to the order of the Superior Court of Québec. You can find the order here. The action will be proceeding in the Superior Court of Ontario.

September 13, 2018: We are aware of the reports that a second probable carcinogen, NDEA, has been found in the recalled valsartan medication according to Health Canada. We are investigating and we will provide you with an update as soon as possible. For more information, please review the following:

• https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2018/67746a-eng.php
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/valsartan-impurity-ndea-1.4822062
• https://globalnews.ca/news/4445643/valsartan-blood-pressure-carcinogen-recall/

August 20, 2018:  If your physician or pharmacist has switched you over to a non-recalled blood pressure medication, we recommend that you keep any leftover recalled valsartan pills stored in a safe place for the purposes of this litigation, if possible and cost-permissive.

The Recall

According to a bulletin issued by Health Canada on July 9, 2018, several varieties of valsartan, a common blood pressure drug sold by several pharmaceutical companies in Canada, are being recalled. The bulletin can be accessed in English here: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2018/67202a-eng.php, and in French here: http://canadiensensante.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2018/67202a-fra.php.

Health Canada said on Tuesday July 9, 2018, that numerous varieties of valsartan are being recalled over fears they contain the impurity NDMA, a chemical that’s been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

In a public advisory, Health Canada said Chinese Company Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical supplied valsartan to several companies that used it to make the finished product.

The director of the Food and Drug Administration's (the "FDA", which is the Federal agency in the United States that regulates all drug manufacturers and pharmaceutical products) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Dr. Janet Woodcock, said "We have carefully assessed the valsartan-containing medications sold in the United States, and we've found that the valsartan sold by these specific companies does not meet our safety standards. This is why we've asked these companies to take immediate action to protect patients."

Dr. Erin Michos, an associate professor and associate director of preventive cardiology at John Hopkins University, spoke to the US news agency CNN about the health risks from exposure to NDMA:

“As of now, the long-term risks posed by the NDMA found in certain valsartan-containing drugs remain somewhat unknown, and the amount of NDMA consumed would play a role in those risks, Michos said. In other words, ‘the dose makes the poison,’ she said.” 

The CNN article can be read here: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/19/health/valsartan-recall-explainer/index.html

A press release, dated July 13, 2018, stating that a proposed class action has been commenced with respect to the recall can be viewed here.

Health Canada has provided the following list of affected drugs subject to the recall:

If you are taking any of the medications on this list, please  REGISTER HERE to receive updates about the class action.

You can also contact Charney Lawyers by email: info@charneylawyers.com

Updates

August 18, 2018

OTTAWA – Health Canada is advising Canadians that, as a precautionary measure, Teva Canada is expanding its voluntary recall to include eight additional lots of valsartan products in Canada because they may contain an impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).

Valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.

This latest action is further to an initial recall of certain valsartan products because of the presence of NDMA in the active ingredient (valsartan). All of the recalled products use a valsartan ingredient manufactured by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals in China.

Source: https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2018/67552a-eng.php

Below are links to media reports on the recall:

• https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-health-canada-recalls-blood-pressure-drug-valsartan-after-carcinogenic/
• https://globalnews.ca/news/4322539/valsartan-drug-recall-canada/
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/valsartan-heart-high-blood-pressure-medication-recall-1.4740666
• https://www.cp24.com/lifestyle/health/health-canada-recalls-some-drugs-containing-valsartan-due-to-potential-carcinogen-1.4007325
• https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/common-heart-drugs-recalled-due-to-contamination-with-possible-carcinogen-1.4007298
• https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/13/health/valsartan-recall-fda-bn/index.html

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The site is not designed to answer questions about your individual situation or entitlement. Do not rely upon the information provided on this website as legal advice in respect of your individual situation nor use it as a substitute for individual legal advice.

The information collected about potential class members will assist counsel in prosecuting the class action and assessing what damages were suffered by the class as a whole. Providing the information requested does not make you the client of Charney Lawyers. The court will ultimately decide who will be included as a class member.

This website will be updated from time to time to provide potential class members with information as it becomes available.