SACRAMENTO — The Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) today praised the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals November 27 ruling that “holding name brand manufacturers liable for harm caused by generic manufacturers ‘stretch[es] the concept of foreseeability too far.’”
The decision is in stark contrast to a November 2008 California court of appeal decision that found Wyeth Pharmaceuticals liable for the plaintiff’s negative reaction to a medication used to treat stomach conditions — which Wyeth pioneered but no longer produced. The plaintiff in that case took a generic drug, manufactured and sold by a generic drug manufacturer, but sued Wyeth for failure to warn of risks associated with the drug.
Of the present case, CJAC President John H. Sullivan said, “the court got it right, showing a refreshing abundance of common sense in telling us that ‘Traditional products liability requires a plaintiff to show that she actually consumed the defendant’s product.’”
The 8th Circuit Court, in ruling the former name brand manufacturer could not be held liable for injuries caused by a generic competitor’s version of the drug, considered and rejected the appellate court’s holding in the California case (which the California Supreme Court refused to review).
“It makes no sense to tie a company’s product liability to a drug that it invented but has lost patent protection — and which the plaintiff was not taking when the injury occurred,” Sullivan said.
Read the opinion in Mensing v. Wyeth by clicking here. (Click the link and search for case number 08-3850.)
Contact: John H. Sullivan
916-443-4900