Product News and Recalls

Bard IVC Filter MDL Status Conference Scheduled for October

bard ivc filter lawsuit mdl conference happening in octoberLawyers from Lopez McHugh and other firms representing Bard inferior vena cava (IVC) filter plaintiffs are scheduled to meet later this month for the first Bard IVC filter MDL status conference. U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell, who has been assigned to the Arizona multidistrict litigation, will preside over the initial case management conference.

IVC filters are small, spider-shaped devices that are inserted into the vena cava to catch blood clots before they reach the heart or lungs. In so doing, they purportedly prevent potentially fatal events like heart attack and stroke. However, medical studies and reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicate that some IVC filters are prone to failure. In 2010, the FDA issued a communication to warn about the risks of IVC filters. The resulting complications, outlined in 921 adverse event reports, include device migration, filter fracture, and vena cava perforation.

Last month, nearly two-dozen Bard IVC filter lawsuits were centralized in a multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona after Lopez McHugh partner Ramon Rossi Lopez argued in favor of consolidation. In the last month, more than 28 new Bard IVC filter lawsuit have been added to the multidistrict litigation, and commentators expect the total number of cases to rise into the hundreds during the coming months.

The agenda for the October 29 status conference is yet to be determined. Judge Campbell has asked the defense counsel and plaintiffs’ counsel to submit a proposal by October 9 along with a discussion of the issues to be addressed at the conference. The Court will then issue an order setting the agenda by October 19.