Lawsuit: Defective inhaler led to death of Mountlake Terrace man

EVERETT — The family of a Mountlake Terrace man who died during an asthma attack is suing three pharmaceutical companies, alleging his prescription inhaler didn’t work, according to a new lawsuit.

In September 2020, four months after the man’s death, Perrigo Company issued a recall of its albuterol sulfate inhaler. The recall was conducted “due to complaints indicating that some units may not dispense due to clogging,” according to court documents. The complaint alleges Perrigo and the manufacturer of the inhaler created a “defective and unsafe” condition in the devices, and failed to caution about the “unreasonably dangerous” assembly of the product, according to the lawsuit.

On June 12, 2020, Antonio Fritz Sr. filled a prescription for Perrigo’s albuterol sulfate inhaler to help control his asthma, according to the charges. Albuterol sulfate treats asthma by “opening the airways by relaxing the surrounding muscles, making it easier to breathe,” court papers say.

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According to the Food and Drug Administration, Perrigo had received “thousands” of complaints about the product. The manufacturer of the inhaler, Catalant Pharma Solutions, halted production and distribution of the inhaler in August 2020.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lawsuit-defective-inhaler-led-to-death-of-mountlake-terrace-man/