With the statute of limitations quickly running out on people being able to file lawsuits against Wyeth, the makers of Reglan, the number of lawsuits being filed against the company are increasing exponentially in New Jersey.
So far, at least 70 cases have been filed, and more are expected as the February 2011 deadline approaches. Lawsuits against Wyeth have been popping up all over the place since more and more patients are coming out about the adverse side effects that they have suffered. Some of the effects that have users complaining include Reglan-related Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) and various movement disorders.
Reglan is prescribed to treat various gastrointestinal problems such as gastroesphogeal reflux (GERD), diabetic gastroperesis and delayed gastric emptying. In July of this year, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided to centralize all of the suits that were filed in New Jersey. The order came after a petition warned the court that suits were going come flooding in since Wyeth, the makers of the drug, is headquartered there.
This centralization of the lawsuits is supposed to prevent too many rulings that contradict each other as well as to avoid too much court traffic that is unfamiliar with the issues. That sounds simpler than it likely will be, especially considering how many cases can be expected. The problem with this is that it has also drastically upped the statute of limitations on filing the claims.
The goal here is to get the court to create a spreadsheet database that will help keep the cases organized. The judge likely to preside over the cases said that the spreadsheet will help the court handle the large amount of claims that will be expected. In theory, this is a good idea, but only time will tell if this will have a positive or negative impact on the lawsuits to come.
