$5.1 Million Settlement in PPA Over-The-Counter Drug Case
( Pittsburgh PA ) In July 2004, Alan Perer reached a settlement with two generic over-the-counter drug manufacturers for $5.1 million. It is believed to be the U.S. ’s largest single settlement for a PPA-caused stroke/death.
In 1997, our client’s 34 year-old wife took an over-the-counter drug containing PPA she purchased at a local supermarket. The drug was a generic form of Dimetapp. Shortly after taking the product, she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. De-spite being life-flighted to Pittsburgh and undergoing brain surgery, the woman died 10 days later.
In November of 2000, the FDA asked all manufacturers of OTC medications containing PPA to remove such products from the market. However, Alan Perer was able to prove that the drug companies knew of the dangers of PPA for decades before the FDA action, but did nothing to warn consumers or reformulate their products. Instead, the companies continued to profit from substantial annual sales while unsuspecting users died or were crippled by the product.
A trial was scheduled for September 2004, but the case was submitted to mediation and settled for $5.1 million. The victim was survived by her husband and three young children.
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