Dupixent MDL Judge To Meet With Lawyers for Initial Case Management Conference in October 2026

As a growing number of Dupixent lawsuits continue to be filed in the federal courts, lawyers will meet this summer to see what issues they agree on and to prepare a joint status report for the recently appointed Dupixent MDL judge.

After being selected earlier this month to preside over all Dupixent lawsuits filed throughout the federal court system, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi will hold an initial case management conference on October 1, 2026, marking the first time lawyers will appear in the MDL (multidistrict litigation) court.

There are currently about two dozen product liability lawsuits against Dupixent manufacturers pending before the MDL judge, each involving similar claims that former users developed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and other forms of cancer after using the blockbuster treatment. However, it is widely expected that the size and scope of the litigation will rapidly expand in the coming months and years.

Dupixent (dupilumab) is a Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi-Aventis U.S. drug originally approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema. However, Dupixent’s approved uses have grown substantially since it was first introduced, with the medication now commonly prescribed for several inflammatory conditions affecting the skin and respiratory system, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and other conditions involving overactive immune responses.

The litigation emerged after studies were published last year that linked Dupixent side effects to the development of some forms of T-cell lymphoma, particularly CTCL, which is a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that primarily affects the skin. Symptoms may resemble eczema or other inflammatory skin conditions, which plaintiffs allege can make the cancer difficult to diagnose in those being treated with Dupixent for atopic dermatitis. 

As a result of the failure to provide adequate warnings about these risks, the manufacturers now face a growing number lawsuits, with many of the plaintiffs indicating that they continued to receive Dupixent injections while their CTCL progressed, since neither doctors nor patients knew the drug may cause or mask the cancer.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) established a Dupixent lawsuit MDL, consolidating cases filed throughout the federal court system before Judge Quraishi in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, to help coordinate discovery and pretrial proceedings.

The litigation currently involves only CTCL cancer claims. However, the JPML indicated that future Dupixent lawsuits involving peripheral T-cell lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma or other non-cutaneous T-cell lymphomas may be considered for transfer through the conditional transfer process.

Dupixent MDL Initial Management Conference

On June 11, Judge Quraishi issued an initial procedure order (PDF), indicating that the Dupixent MDL currently includes 17 complaints. The order schedules an Initial Management Conference for October 1, 2026, when the parties will meet for the first time to address pretrial procedures, discovery and the overall direction of the litigation.

Ahead of that conference, Judge Quraishi directed attorneys for both sides to meet and confer by July 24, in an effort to reach agreement where possible on issues listed in the Initial Management Conference agenda.

The judge also ordered the parties to submit an Initial Management Report by September 10. He called for the report to include the need for attorneys to be appointed to leadership positions, the structure of that leadership and the timing of the appointments, as well as whether those appointments should be reviewed periodically.

It must also include information on previously entered schedules and orders, the scheduling of future case management conferences and other key items that need to be discussed to begin moving the MDL forward.

Following the conference, the parties will jointly prepare a proposed initial management order by November 1, 2026.

Judge Quraishi is expected to eventually guide the parties through the selection of several representative Dupixent injection lawsuits to serve as early test cases. These “bellwether” trials would give plaintiffs and defendants a chance to see how juries weigh the strengths and weaknesses of evidence and testimony that would be commonly employed throughout the litigation.

While the results of these bellwether trials would not be binding on other claims, the outcomes could have a significant impact on any Dupixent settlement negotiations. If there is no settlement or other resolution following the bellwether trials and pretrial proceedings, Judge Quraishi would likely begin remanding cases back to their originating federal district to be prepared for individual trials.

Sign up for more legal news that could affect you or your family.