Gadolinium dye makers facing almost 400 lawsuits
Documents filed recently in federal court have revealed that the makers of gadolinium-based MRI contrast dyes are facing a total of 391 federal and state gadolinium lawsuits brought by patients. These individuals have alleged that they developed a condition known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis after receiving an MRI with gadolinium, causing them to suffer severe and possibly deadly side effects.
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis can affect patients with renal failure or other kidney problems, who may have trouble eliminating the gadolinium in an MRI contrast dye from their bodies. This could cause them to develop the gadolinium side effects of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, including a hardening or thickening of the skin, which can cause the skin to thicken, restrict movement and may prove fatal.
According to the gadolinium lawyers representing these patients, the 287 federal gadolinium lawsuits which have been filed so far have been consolidated into a single court in Ohio. An additional 104 gadolinium lawsuits have been filed in state courts, including 53 in New Jersey, 14 in Pennsylvania, 25 in California, 3 in Alabama, 6 in Illinois and one each in Missouri, Delaware and New York.
Currently, there are four companies that manufacture MRI contrast dyes containing gadolinium: General Electric, Bayer, Bracco and Tyco/Malinckrodt. Although most of the gadolinium lawsuits that have been filed so far concerned patients who were treated with GE’s Omniscan, gadolinium attorneys have filed cases against all four manufacturers.