The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has certified a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of the prescription drug Prepulsid. Superior Court Justice Ellen Macdonald certified the lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, its pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen-Ortho Inc., and the Attorney General of Canada. Prepulsid first began making headlines in Canada in 2000 when Conservative Ontario Government member Terence Young's daughter Vanessa died of a heart arrhythmia after taking the drug to ease her bloating symptoms. The class action claims Johnson & Johnson breached various duties of care 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.
Prepulsid is a prokinetic or motility agent that was often prescribed by physicians to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease. In 1989, Health Canada approved it for sale in Canada for specific medical conditions. In January 1990, Prepulsid was formally launched in Canada by Janssen-Ortho. Prepulsid was withdrawn from the market following a stop-order sale directed to Janssen-Ortho in May 2000. Canadian pharmacies were permitted by Health Canada to sell their inventories until August 7, 2002.
