Oxbryta is a medication that was pulled off the market due to safety concerns, patient deaths, worse symptoms of sickle cell disease, VOCs (Vaso-Occlusive Crises), severe pain, and other side effects.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Oxbryta induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with severe side effects from Oxbryta (voxelotor), you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Pfizer Recalls Oxbryta Due To Safety Concerns
Oxbryta® (voxelotor) is a prescription medication for sickle cell disease that is manufactured by Pfizer. It was approved in 2019.
In September 2024, Pfizer pulled Oxbryta off the market due to safety concerns that were discovered in multiple studies. According to Pfizer, the safety risks with Oxbryta outweigh any benefit.
What Is The Problem With Oxbryta?
Instead of helping people with sickle cell disease, studies showed that Oxbryta might actually worsen the disease. Oxbryta patients had higher rates of death during these studies. Patients on Oxbryta were also more likely to suffer from painful Vaso-Occlusive Crises (VOC).
What Safety Concerns Were Linked to Oxbryta?
Oxbryta has been linked to serious safety concerns, including:
- Death
- Worse symptoms of sickle cell disease
- Pain crisis
- More episodes of sickle cell pain
- Vaso-Occlusive Crises (VOCs)
- Hospitalization
- Other severe side effects
- Higher rates of patient deaths in clinical trials
What Should I Do?
Doctors should immediately stop prescribing Oxbryta to new patients. Patients should contact their health care professional about stopping Oxbryta and starting another treatment option, according to the FDA Safety Communication alerting patients and health care professionals about the voluntary withdrawal of Oxbryta from the market.
What is a VOC?
The most common and painful complication of sickle cell disease is a Vaso-Occlusive Crisis (VOC), which is a medical emergency that is also called a sickle cell pain crisis.
The pain due to a VOC can start suddenly and occur anywhere in the body, but it usually happens in the chest, back, hands, or feet. The pain can be mild or severe and last for any length of time.
What Causes a Sickle Cell Pain Crisis?
Sickle cell pain crises occur when sickled red blood cells get stuck in the smaller blood vessels and block blood-flow to the point where body tissues begin to die due to a lack of oxygen (called “necrosis”).
The body responds to tissue death and the lack of oxygen with an inflammatory response. In severe VOCs, the pain is constant and excruciating. It may be accompanied by a fever and last for days.
Class Action Lawsuits for People With Sickle Cell Disease
Many people who used Oxbryta for sickle cell disease experienced severe side effects. If you or a loved one suffered through extreme pain, hospitalization, other serious injuries, or died after taking Oxbryta, you are not alone. You may be eligible to file a lawsuit.
How Can My Lawsuit Help?
Lawsuits could potentially seek financial compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering (past and future), decreased quality of life, wrongful death of a loved one, and more.
About Class Actions
Class actions are a type of civil lawsuit in which a large group of people (called a “class”) are represented by one or more plaintiffs (called the “class representative”). Everyone who qualifies to join the class action has a similar legal claim. They were all harmed in the same way by the same defendant, so they all seek a similar remedy.
When Are Class Actions Useful?
Class actions can be useful when it is not cost-effective for everyone to file their own lawsuit. This is why class actions are commonly filed after product recalls when a lot of people are seeking reimbursement, refunds, or a relatively small cash payout.
Class Action vs. Individual Lawsuits for Medications
Class actions can have big disadvantages for people who were injured by medications with severe side effects. This is why lawyers commonly file individual lawsuits for people who were harmed by medications. Oxbryta has been linked to severe side effects, but each patient’s case is unique, so it would not be easy to group together these cases in a class action.
Individual Lawsuits Can Seek Justice & Compensation
Unlike a class action, individual lawsuits for Oxbryta injuries will try to maximize the payout for the plaintiff, based on the unique circumstances of their case (such as medical bills due to long-term injuries, for example). There are many factors involved with Oxbryta.
For example, Oxbryta was approved for children as young as 4 years old, but also adults. Some patients may have suffered extreme pain, hospitalization, significant medical expenses, or long-term injuries after taking Oxbryta. Other cases may involve patients who died.
What Do These Lawsuits Claim?
Each case must be carefully reviewed by a lawyer to determine if there is a legal claim to be made against Pfizer. There are many types of legal claims, such as negligence (when a company fails to do what it should have done to keep you safe). Lawsuits for medication injuries commonly accuse pharmaceutical companies of failing to warn patients and doctors about the risk of side effects.
Do I Have an Oxbryta Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Oxbryta induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with severe side effects from Oxbryta (voxelotor), you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.