A Nevada
jury found three drug companies - Teva Parenteral Medicines Incorporated,
Baxter Healthcare Corporation and McKesson Corporation - liable for
distributing 50 and 100 milliliter vials of an anesthetic used during
colonoscopies. The drug companies were
found liable in two separate trials because the size of the vials was larger
than necessary for a single use.
The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada re-used vials of
that anesthetic during colonoscopy procedures which caused a hepatitis C
outbreak which infected hundreds of people, including Ann Arnold, the plaintiff
in this case.
Arnold's
attorney says the drug companies were initially offered a settlement of $4.9
million in this case. They turned it
down and instead will pay more than $180 million. As expected, the drug companies maintain they
were not negligent despite losing all three trials related to the
outbreak so far.
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