Lawsuit Alleges Dupixent Caused Cancer Diagnosis After One Year of Injections

Manufacturers received numerous cancer reports involving Dupixent side effects before plaintiff began receiving injections, yet issued no warning, lawsuit claims.

A Georgia woman’s Dupixent lawsuit claims she developed a rare form of cancer as a direct result of using the atopic dermatitis drug after only a year, joining a growing group of plaintiffs who say the manufacturers have failed to adequately warn the medical community about the drug’s risks.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Wanda Nalls in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on December 22, naming Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC and Genzyme Corporation as defendants.

Dupixent (dupilumab) is an injection administered every two to four weeks for treatment for atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema. Originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017, Dupixent has subsequently been approved to treat asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other inflammatory diseases affecting the respiratory tract and skin, with more than 1 million patients receiving the injection in recent years.

However, concerns have emerged over Dupixent’s link to T-cell lymphoma, a rare cancer that affects white blood cells. Reports have associated the drug with increased risks of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).

Nalls’ allegations join a number of similar Dupixent cancer lawsuits brought in recent weeks, each raising nearly identical allegations that the manufacturers knew or should have known of the risks of CTCL and PTCL, yet placed a desire for profits before consumer safety by failing to adequately warn patients or the medical community.

According to Nalls’ lawsuit, she began taking Dupixent in August 2018 for the treatment of her atopic dermatitis. In December 2018, she was diagnosed with CTCL, but continued to receive the injections until August 2019, unaware of the possible connection between the drug and her cancer diagnosis.

“As a result of Plaintiff’s CTCL diagnosis, she has required extensive treatments and the use of medications including electron beam therapy, topical medications, oral medications, and injected/infused medications. Additionally, Plaintiff, Wanda Nalls, has gone through multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.”

– Wanda Nalls v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. et al

Since her diagnosis, Nalls has been advised that she will require medical treatment and monitoring of her cancer for the rest of her life. She has since suffered from new tumor growths as the disease continues to progress.

The lawsuit alleges that manufacturers received multiple reports linking Dupixent to cancer diagnoses in the months before Nalls began receiving the injections. It claims her lymphoma could have been avoided if doctors had been properly warned about those reports, which the manufacturers allegedly failed to do.

Nalls presents claims of failure to warn, negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation. She seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

Dupixent Cancer Lawsuits

As one of the early complaints brought in the litigation, the progression of Nalls’ claim may lay the groundwork for how courts handle other Dupixent lawsuits, as more former users learn that Dupixent may have caused CTCL, PTCL or other forms of T-cell lymphoma diagnosed in recent years.

Individuals who were treated with Dupixent and later diagnosed with CTCL or another T-cell lymphoma may have legal options to seek financial recovery through a lawsuit tied to the medication.

Attorneys handling Dupixent T-cell lymphoma lawsuits are offering free case evaluations to review medical histories, explain potential legal rights and assess whether manufacturers may be held responsible.

These cases are pursued on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients do not pay any legal fees unless compensation is secured through a settlement or trial verdict.

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