A group of US consumers have filed a lawsuit against Icelandic pharmaceutical company Actavis in the US, claiming they suffered damage from heart medicine Digitek, which Actavis recalled in April after quality control.
Digitek is sold under the label of Bertek, which is owned by Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. and under the label of UDL Laboratories. Actavis’ factory in New Jersey produces the medicine for these companies and the plaintiffs are also suing Bertek and UDL Laboratories, Morgunbladid reports.
According to the US consumers’ representative Michael Weinkowitz, one of the complainant said she experienced increased heart problems, nausea and dizziness after taking the drug.
Another complainant claims to have suffered damage to the kidneys after taking Digitek.
According to Wall Street Journal, Weinkowitz is applying for a permission to change the case to a class action suit, which means that a group of people can file a single lawsuit.
Actavis recalled Digitek in April after the company’s quality control found a pill that had twice the normal thickness. Although it could not be confirmed that such a pill had been sold to consumers, Actavis recalled Digitek since the drug can prove dangerous if it is taken in large quantities.
Weinkowitz claims that Actavis has not sent out any information about Digitek in relation to the recall of the drug and the public is therefore unaware of the extent of the problem.
The lawsuit states that the US Food and Drug Administration has made comments about Actavis’ factory in New Jersey, which produced part of the malformed pills, failing to deliver regular security reports.
Actavis has not made any public statement about the case.
