Jury Orders Teva, Baxter, McKesson to Pay $20M in Hep C Case
A jury has ordered Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Baxter Healthcare and McKesson to pay at least $20 million for selling the anesthetic propofol in a way that encouraged providers to re-use single-use vials, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report.
Three colonoscopy patients contracted hepatitis C after they received propofol from vials that had been previously infected with the disease. The lawyers for the patients alleged that the drug manufacturers knew that the overly large size of the propofol vials would tempt physicians and nurses to re-use them to save money.
The jurors in the Las Vegas state court deliberated for seven hours yesterday before finding that the companies wrongfully sold propofol in vials large enough to be used on multiple patients. The jury will consider punitive damages today; the plaintiffs' lawyers have said they make seek a punitive award of up to $600 million.
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