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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