Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Baxter Healthcare and McKesson will pay punitive damages over sales of the anesthetic in vials that lawyers said were too large for use in endoscopy centers. The lawyers alleged that the companies knew the overly large vials would tempt physicians and nurses to re-use vials intended for single use, potentially exposing patients to bloodborne infections.
This is the second punitive award against Baxter and Teva over a 2008 hepatitis C outbreak in Nevada tied to propofol. The first case resulted in a punitive verdict of more than $500 million against the drug makers. Teva has agreed to cover all damage awards resulting from the cases on behalf of the other two companies.
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