Oxbryta Lawsuit Settlements: What To Expect (2025)

Dangers of Oxbryta

Pfizer and the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) expected Oxbryta to provide significant new benefits in sickle cell anemia treatment. As a result, the FDA granted accelerated approval for the drug. However, the FDA required Pfizer to perform postmarketing studies to verify the drug’s effectiveness and safety.

These studies revealed that Oxbryta did not treat sickle-cell anemia. The malformed blood cells stick together to form blood clots, increasing the risk of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). Patients receiving Oxbryta had a higher rate of both VOC and death.

More specifically, four studies revealed some disturbing trends among Oxbryta users. As noted in the EU’s suspension of Oxbryta, two studies showed that patients had higher rates of VOCs after taking Oxbryta than before they used the drug. VOCs are often painful, and the clots can damage the kidneys or cause strokes.

Two other studies demonstrated the fatal effects of these VOCs. One study showed that patients receiving the drug had a higher-than-expected rate of death, and another established that Oxbryta users were more likely to die than those taking a placebo.

Understanding Settlement Factors in Oxbryta Lawsuits

Product liability law is based on three theories. First, manufacturers warrant that their products will perform as advertised. When they fail to do so, the manufacturer breaches that warranty. Pfizer marketed Oxbryta as a treatment for sickle-cell anemia, and the trials suggest that it worsened the disease’s effects rather than treating them.

Second, manufacturers are liable for any negligence in marketing their products. The evidence might prove that the company failed to exercise reasonable care in disclosing risks. Some negligence examples that might apply to Oxbryta include fudging its data or not communicating signs that the drug might not be safe and effective.

Third, manufacturers are strictly liable for defective products. A strict liability tort happens regardless of the manufacturer’s knowledge or intent. This makes it a powerful tool in product liability cases because the manufacturer can be liable even if they did not intend to market a defective product or know the defect existed.

Instead, the injured consumer only needs to prove the product had a design, manufacturing or warning defect that harmed them.

Plaintiffs seeking Oxbryta settlements have asserted design and warning defects. Oxbryta might have a design defect because it increases the risk of VOCs and VOC-related deaths, the very complications it was meant to treat. Thus, the medication cannot be used safely by the patients it was marketed to.

It might also have a warning defect. If Pfizer had any data suggesting it might worsen VOCs in some patients, the product’s lack of warnings might constitute a defect.

Oxbryta Lawsuit Settlements

Pfizer announced the Oxbryta recall on September 24, 2024, and lawsuits quickly followed. However, Oxbryta lawsuit settlements might not happen for years because these cases require extensive litigation before the manufacturer is willing to settle.

For example, the first Paraquat lawsuit for injuries resulting from a pesticide was filed in 2022, and the earliest trials might happen in the fall of 2025.

A key step has yet to occur in the Oxbryta litigation. When the number of plaintiffs filing a product liability lawsuit against a manufacturer reaches a critical mass, a group of judges can consolidate the cases as a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in a single court. Injured plaintiffs have not filed enough Oxbryta cases to trigger an MDL.

The MDL is often critical to securing a settlement because thousands or tens of thousands of plaintiffs have more negotiating power than one or two. Once manufacturers see the risk of billions of dollars in court judgments, they will consider offering a global settlement to resolve all the cases at once.

Possible Oxbryta Lawsuit Settlements Amounts

Product liability settlements often require the manufacturer to create a settlement fund. Injured consumers can choose between applying for a settlement from the fund or continuing their lawsuits against the manufacturer. If they continue their lawsuits, they risk losing at trial. Additionally, they may not see a courtroom for years as they litigate their cases.

If they accept the settlement, they risk receiving less than they would receive from a jury. Thus, injured consumers must balance their risks and choose whether to submit a claim or litigate.

In most situations, the settlement fund will be separated into tiers. The amount paid to claimants will depend on the injuries they suffered. The effects of VOCs that could occur after using Oxbryta included non-fatal injuries such as pain or jaundice.

However, patients could also suffer long-term or permanent kidney or liver damage. In the worst cases, patients experienced strokes that resulted in brain damage or death.

Settlement amounts will depend on the injuries you or your loved one suffered. The highest payments will go to family members of patients who died. The next highest amounts will be paid to patients with permanent organ damage.

Learn More About Oxbryta Lawsuit Settlements From ConsumerShield

Lawsuits for defective drugs involve complicated legal and factual issues. ConsumerShield educates consumers about the law and helps them connect with attorneys to advise and represent them. Contact us for a free case review and lawyer referral.