MASS TORT AMERICA
CLIENT AGGREGATION SERVICES
MASS TORT ALERT
For client aggregation assistance, contact (210) 635-0468 or info@masstortamerica.com
Predicted Mass Tort Action:
Qualaquin® (Quinine) malaria treatment
Potential Defendant(s)
• Primary: AR Scientific®/United Research Laboratories (URL) Pharma, Inc.
Primary Defendant Financial Data: $500M – $1B Annual Revenue; Heavily
Insured
• Secondary: Prescribing Physicians, Testing Lab, Pharmacies, Hospitals and Other
Medical Facilities; financial status varies, mostly insured.
Potential Plaintiffs
Individuals prescribed Qualaquin® for off-label use.
Potential Plaintiff Numerosity
Over 4 million prescriptions written in 2006—Only 1,564 U.S. malaria cases reported to
CDC for 2006 (New York Times report).
More than 124,000 people received 300,000 prescriptions in first six months of 2008—
Only 1,500 U.S. malaria cases reported to CDC for 2008 (Washington Post report).
Potential Plaintiff Claims
Wrongful Death, Permanent Disability, Life-Threatening Permanent Injury, Medical
Malpractice.
Potential Cause of Action
Quinine has been shown to cause death and permanent injury.
Defendants may have facilitated and promoted long-term, off-label prescription and use
of Qualaquin®.
Aggravating Circumstance: These actions may have been aggravated by the continued
facilitation and promotion of off-label use after repeated FDA warnings over several
years from the FDA that such prescribing and use has been linked to deaths, as well as
other serious medical conditions including permanent kidney damage, hospitalization,
and other life-threatening hematological (serious bleeding) conditions. According to the
FDA: A recent report notes that, from January 2006 to June 2008, a large proportion of
quinine prescriptions (62%) were written for musculoskeletal symptoms, rather than
uncomplicated malaria. “Despite these actions, FDA continues to receive reports of
serious adverse events with the use of quinine, most citing off-label use.”
Client Origination and Aggregation Challenges
Most of the potential plaintiffs injured by off-label prescription use of Qualaquin® may not
be aware that Qualaquin® has caused their injury or the death of their loved one. The
issue has yet to be widely published in the media and the prescribing physicians are
unlikely to inform the injured patients or patient’s family that the prescription they wrote
caused the injury or death. *Contact us to discuss our client aggregation services (210)
635-0468 info@masstortamerica.com.
Opportunity
The opportunity to be the originator of a mass or class action exists in this issue. Premedia
exposure knowledge of these circumstances presents a unique opportunity for a
plaintiff law firm. *Contact us to discuss our client aggregation services (210) 635-0468
info@masstortamerica.com.
Client Generation Strategy
Internet search engine domination followed by mass press release. This two-pronged
strategy should be sufficient to aggregate a significant number of plaintiffs. Other forms
of advertising including television could be indicated if justified by the plaintiff volume
acquired in the initial plaintiff aggregation phase. *Contact us to discuss our client
aggregation services (210) 635-0468 info@masstortamerica.com.
Disclaimer
If you are not an Attorney this information is not intended for you. If you need legal help,
please seek the advice of an Attorney. If you need medical help, please seek the advice
of a Medical Doctor. No one should discontinue the use of any medication without
seeking the advice of a Medical Doctor.
The information provided in this alert is not intended to be legal advice. This alert is
provided directly to practicing attorneys and is for the sole use of those attorneys.
Further dissemination of this alert is prohibited. It is assumed that the receiving attorney
has the ability to conduct independent research on the information provided and does
not need to rely solely on the provided information for any purpose.
Qualaquin® is a registered trademark of AR Scientific, Inc. Mass Tort America is not
affiliated with Qualaquin® or AR Scientific, Inc.
References
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm218424.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugSafetyNewsletter/ucm167883.htm
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM218269.pdf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030102881.html
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mass_tort_litigation/2006/12/fda_stopping_sa.html
http://www.qualaquin.com/
http://www.urlpharma.com/url_brand_AR_Scientific.aspx
http://www.annals.org/content/135/12/S65.full
