Oxbryta Settlement Discussions in Class Action Lawsuits Set for Sept. 2025

Negotiations to resolve the Oxbryta recall lawsuit will begin after the parties present arguments over Pfizer’s motion to dismiss the case this week.

A federal judge has appointed a mediator to oversee negotiations in an Oxbryta class action lawsuit, in hopes of the parties reaching a settlement agreement to resolve claims over the recalled sickle cell disease treatment before trial gets underway in August 2027.

Oxbryta (voxelotor) was first introduced by Global Blood Therapeutics in late 2019, after the medication was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Oxbryta was promoted as the first drug to treat the root cause of sickle cell disease, by improving hemoglobin levels in the body and helping the blood cells retain more oxygen. 

Pfizer subsequently acquired Global Blood Therapeutics for $5.4 billion in 2022, and continued to promote the treatment as safe and effective.

However, following a large number of reports involving users experiencing painful sickle cell complications and deaths due to vaso-occlusive crises (VOC), Pfizer announced a global Oxbryta recall in September 2024, acknowledging that the risks associated with the treatment outweigh any potential benefits.

VOCs occur when the red blood cells block blood flow, and the tissues become deprived of oxygen. This can cause an inflammatory response, which can lead to symptoms like pain in the chest, back and limbs, as well as fever. Patients often have to be hospitalized and can suffer kidney failure and stroke. Additionally, many patients die following a vaso-occlusive event.

The Oxbryta class action lawsuit was filed in December 2024, seeking damages for former users who were prescribed the treatment  since November 1, 2019. In the intervening months, several other Oxbryta lawsuits have been filed by individuals who experienced severe side effects from the recalled drug, but the class action claim seeks damages even for those who have not been injured, claiming that the manufacturers placed a desire for profits over the health and welfare of those with sickle cell disease.

U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson has been assigned to oversee the litigation and scheduled an early trial date in the Oxbryta lawsuit, indicating that the class action claims will go before a jury on August 16, 2027. Following a case management conference held on June 26, Judge Thompson issued a court order (PDF) appointing retired Judge Philip S. Gutierrez to serve as a mediator in the claim, and ordered the parties to begin Oxbryta settlement talks on September 9, 2025.

According to a joint statement (PDF) submitted by the parties on June 18, the litigation is still in its early stages, with no discovery process having yet begun. There are at least three similar Oxbryta lawsuits filed in various federal courts, and eight complaints pending in California state court, according to lawyers involved in the class action.

The Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments today on a pending motion to dismiss filed by Pfizer. The drug maker maintains that the complaint lacks sufficient factual detail to support allegations of fraud, breach of warranty and deceptive marketing, and that it does not meet the legal standards required to proceed under federal rules.