Chemotherapy drug dilution class action announced

WINDSOR & LONDON, ON, April 3, 2013 /CNW/ - The law firms Sutts, Strosberg ^LLP and Siskinds ^LLP have been retained to launch a class action against Mezentco Inc. regarding improperly mixed chemotherapy drugs supplied to certain Ontario and New Brunswick hospitals. The drugs in question, cyclophosphamide and gemcitabine, are alleged to have been watered down between three and 20 per cent, and have been administered in these diluted states for at least a year in some hospitals.

According to Harvey Strosberg, QC, a lead lawyer for the affected patients, "This is a shocking revelation for cancer patients affected by this error.  As Canadians, we count on world class health care, and we expect and deserve long-term cancer treatment to be done seamlessly and expertly.  Based on our discussions, both patients and caregivers are stunned by this news."

The drugs were supplied to the affected hospitals by Mezentco Inc., a Hamilton, Ontario company that carries on business under the name Marchese Health Care.  It is alleged that Mezentco was responsible for mixing and labeling the drug bags.

It is thought that the premixed bags contained too much saline solution, which diluted the drug dosage given to each patient.  The error was uncovered by a pharmacy technician in Peterborough, Ont., but not until the diluted chemotherapy drugs had unwittingly been administered to patients for more than a year in London and Windsor, Ontario.  Nearly 1,200 patients in total are thought to have been affected.

Mike Peerless, a lawyer with Siskinds ^LLP, describes the purpose of the proceeding as, "We believe that through this class action, the defendant will be required to account for the problem with these drugs, explain to Canadian patients how this problem occurred, and compensate those affected."

SOURCE: Siskinds LLP

Anyone who has been affected by this issue is encouraged to visit:

www.cancerdrugclassaction.ca or

www.classaction.ca or to call:

Siskinds ^LLP at 1.800.461.6166 x 2406 or

Sutts, Strosberg ^LLP at 1.800.229.5323 x 8296 or 519.561.6296 for more information.