MDL-1355 Propulsid Product Liability Litigation

This multidistrict litigation consists of over 70 cases currently pending before this Court. Several cases are also pending in state courts in California, New Jersey, and West Virginia. In these cases, the plaintiffs have filed suit alleging certain actual and potential risks associated with the medication known generically as Propulsid. Defendants Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson produced Propulsid to treat nocturnal heartburn in adults with gastroesphageal reflux disease. The plaintiffs contend that Propulsid caused heart problems and other injuries to themselves or their family members who took Propulsid.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation assigned this multidistrict proceeding to Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana to coordinate discovery and other pretrial matters in the pending cases. Subsequent Propulsid cases filed in federal court will ordinarily be transferred to this district court to become part of MDL No. 1355 as "Tag Along" cases. Upon the conclusion of discovery and other pretrial matters, the cases that constitute MDL No. 1355 will be transferred back to the federal district courts from which they originated for trial and further proceedings.