Oxbryta Lawsuits: Justice for Sickle Cell Disease Patients

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a debilitating blood disorder with few effective treatment options. So when Oxbryta received fast-track approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019, it was supposed to be a major milestone for people living with SCD and their families. But in September 2024, the drug was voluntarily recalled due to serious safety concerns.

Pfizer, the drug’s manufacturer, pulled Oxbryta off the market after studies revealed that the drug posed dangerous health threats, including severe pain and even death. Patients not only experienced worsening symptoms but also paid the overwhelming price tag for a potentially deadly treatment.

DiCello Levitt is here to fight for patients injured by Oxbryta and their surviving family members.

SCD represents a public health crisis that disproportionately affects minority populations, particularly Black Americans, many of whom do not receive or lack access to recommended screenings and treatments. Our team of compassionate, caring, and highly accomplished attorneys is seeking justice for these patients.

If you or a loved one experienced complications after taking Oxbryta, contact us today. We will work tirelessly to get the compensation that you deserve.

What Is Sickle Cell Disease?

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. When red blood cells are healthy, they are round and flexible, allowing them to move easily through blood vessels and deliver oxygen throughout the body. In people with SCD, the red blood cells are misshapen, typically like a crescent or “sickle.” These sickle cells do not bend or move easily through blood vessels and can block blood flow, which can cause pain and other serious complications, including anemia, acute and chronic pain, infections, pneumonia and acute chest syndrome, stroke, and kidney, liver, and heart disease.

Who Is Affected by Sickle Cell Disease?

SCD affects about 100,000 people in the United States. More than 90% of those affected are non-Hispanic Black or African Americans and an estimated 3%-9% are Hispanic or Latino, according to the CDC.

Despite their substantial health care needs, many people with SCD face significant barriers, including lack of access to quality care and insufficient understanding of the disease, and many report feeling stigmatized and having their symptoms dismissed when they do seek care. Furthermore, research for SCD and effective treatments has been chronically underfunded for years.

What Is Oxbryta, and Why Was It Recalled?

Oxbryta (voxelotor) is a once-a-day tablet manufactured by Pfizer for the treatment of SCD. The medication is designed to restore patients’ red blood cells to a normal shape, thereby reducing damage to the body’s tissues and to red cells.

In September 2024, Pfizer recalled Oxbryta, citing recent data that indicate its benefits do not outweigh its risks. According to a release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, postmarketing clinical trials revealed a higher rate of vaso-occlusive crisis (severe pain caused by sickled red blood cells blocking blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues) in patients receiving Oxbryta compared to placebo. There were also more deaths in the Oxbryta treatment group as compared to the placebo group.

Your Oxbryta Lawyers Fight for the Justice You Deserve

Our team of skilled attorneys is led by Diandra “Fu” Debrosse, a relentless advocate who fights passionately for individuals and public entities injured by wrongful conduct, whether by defective medical devices or drugs, environmental contamination, corporate misconduct, or civil rights abuse. Named by Forbes magazine as one of America’s top 200 lawyers in 2024, Fu has recovered nearly $1 billion in damages for her clients.

A trailblazer in the legal profession, Fu made legal history in May 2022, when she became the first Black woman ever appointed plaintiffs’ co-lead counsel in a multidistrict litigation—the massive products liability case against two of the world’s largest infant formula manufacturers. She serves as co-lead counsel in the MDL against L’Oréal and other makers of hair relaxer products marketed primarily to Black and Latina women and represents the families of victims of the May 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, in a lawsuit alleging that some of the largest social media companies as well as firearm and body armor manufacturers contributed to the horrific event. She also represents numerous victims of rape, sexual harassment, physical assault, discrimination, and other abuse and is co-founder of Shades of Mass, an organization dedicated to encouraging the appointment of attorneys of color in national mass tort actions.

DiCello Levitt’s Exceptional Leadership and Extraordinary Results

• Co-lead counsel in In re Hair Relaxer Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation. Filed the first case against L’Oreal and other manufacturers of hair relaxer, alleging that hair relaxer increases risk of uterine cancer and other significant conditions in women of African descent.
• Co-lead counsel representing families of victims in the Buffalo, New York, mass shooting in Salter, et al. v. Meta Platforms, et al. Achieved a court ruling that created new law recognizing that social media applications are indeed products under New York’s product liability framework.
• Representing more than 75 cities and counties in multiple states in In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation and In re McKinsey & Company Inc. National Prescription Opiate Consultant Litigation.
• Litigating two of the largest environmental litigations in U.S. history, to address PFAS contamination on behalf of the states of Michigan and Illinois.
• In 2024 alone, recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for victims of medical malpractice, defective devices and drugs, car and truck accidents, workplace accidents, and other personal injuries.
• Achieved hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements against Fortune 500 companies on behalf of victims of workplace discrimination.
• Named 2023 Trial Strategy Innovation Firm of the Year by The National Law Journal.
• Ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA in Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs, Illinois.