Oxbryta Class Action Lawsuit for Sickle Cell Disease Drug Recall in 2024: Former Users Take Legal Action
A recent class action lawsuit has been filed against Pfizer by former users of the sickle cell disease drug Oxbryta. The plaintiffs claim that the manufacturers were aware of the serious health risks associated with the drug long before it was recalled this year. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks damages for anyone in the U.S. who used Oxbryta since November 1, 2019, and paid at least partially out-of-pocket.
Oxbryta, introduced by Global Blood Therapeutics in late 2019, was promoted as the first medication to treat the root cause of sickle cell disease. Pfizer acquired Global Blood Therapeutics for $5.4 billion in 2022. However, following reports of users experiencing complications and deaths, Pfizer initiated a global recall of Oxbryta in September 2024. Several lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer by former users of Oxbryta, with this latest complaint seeking damages even for those who have not been physically injured by the drug.
The plaintiffs argue that Pfizer did not provide sufficient warnings about potential side effects, indicating that data has linked the drug to an increase in vaso-occlusive crises for years. Vaso-occlusive crises occur when blood flow is blocked by red blood cells, leading to oxygen deprivation in the tissues. This can result in symptoms like chest pain, fever, and even kidney failure and stroke, sometimes leading to death.
The lawsuit alleges that consumers would not have purchased Oxbryta had they been informed about the true health risks associated with the drug. Claims made in the lawsuit include breach of warranty, violation of the Magnuson-Moss Act, common law fraud, unjust enrichment, and violations of fair trade and consumer fraud laws in Georgia, Indiana, and Illinois.