Prepulsid Drug Alleged to be Ineffective & Dangerous

Christina Cole

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A Canadian man whose 15-year-old daughter died after taking the prescription drug Prepulsid is now filing a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, the drug's manufacturer.

Terence Young's daughter, Vanessa, died in 2000 from a heart arrhythmia after using the drug to ease symptoms of bloating.

The class action, recently certified by an Ontario judge, is seeking damages for cardiac-related injuries and advances a claim for damages arising from the purchase of what is now being alleged to have been an ineffective, dangerous drug.

In 2004, Johnson and Johnson agreed to provide up to $90 million in payments to resolve similar allegations in the United States. The Canadian case has been bogged down in motions for several years.

Superior Court Justice Ellen Macdonald certified the lawsuit late last week, but word of the certification wasn't made public until this week.

The plaintiffs allege that the defendants "breached various duties of care owed to the class by negligently developing, testing, manufacturing, licensing, distributing and marketing Prepulsid in Canada, and by failing to adequately warn Canadian physicians and their patients of the risks associated with ingesting Prepulsid," Macdonald wrote in her ruling.