Allergan Breast Implant Lawsuit – Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Allergan Biocell Breast implant lawsuits are not part of a class action. An Allergan breast implant lawsuit is a cause of action litigated against a drug, pharmaceutical and medical device company called Allergan alleging that its Breast Implants cause Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). Victims assert that the breast implants are defective and the manufacturer failed to warn medical providers and victims about possible cancer risks.  The Allergan lawsuits are part of a Multi district litigation which consolidates all pending lawsuits in the federal Court system in one Court. Victims’ lawyers are requesting and demanding substantial monetary compensation to cover patients’ hospital costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Many victims are searching google for information about: “textured breast implant lawsuit” as well as “Allegan smooth implants.” Some victims are surprised that there is no Allergan Biocell class action. However, the lack of a Breast implant class action does not mean that a victim cannot file a breast implant lawsuit. Biocell Breast implants are the subject of two major mass tort litigations. There may be another wave of breast implant lawsuits on the way regarding the breast implant, Biocell. The Biocell implant lawsuits will take some time to proceed to trial. These lawsuits are now pending in in both multi-county litigation in New Jersey state court as well as in Federal Court court in an MDL known as:  IN RE: ALLERGAN BIOCELL TEXTURED BREAST IMPLANT PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION : MDL NO. 2921. There have been no global settlements and no one knows the possible settlement amounts.

• Instead of the risk of leakage and rupture, Allergan’s Biocell breast implant is a carcinogen and has now been recalled from the market.
• Biocell breast implants according to the FDA, causes BIA-ALCL which  is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.
• ALCL is otherwise known as Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.
• Women who have been sickened by this implant have now begun to file lawsuits against the company.
• The lawsuits are still in their early stages and are part of an MDL in Federal Court in New Jersey.
• Lawsuits can also be filed in state court multi-county litigation in New Jersey.

Allergan Biocell Breast Implant Lawsuit

These lawsuits are filed against:

• Allergan, Inc.,
• Allergan USA, Inc.,
• Allergan plc.

Allergan Breast Implant Lawsuit updates (November 2023):

Update- 11-16-23-  There are currently  1198  lawsuits pending before Justice, Brian R. Martinotti (U.S. District Judge)  in MDL -2921 IN RE: Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Products Liability Litigation.

10-5-23- Case Management order #27 entered, stating: “Sarah T. Hansel is relieved of her responsibilities and removed from the PSC.”

10-2-23-  Case management order #26 states in pertinent part: “MDL Plaintiffs and Allergan will each be prepared to select 8 ALCL cases and 8 non-ALCL/revision cases for initial bellwether fact discovery (as described in Special Master CMO 12) at the next case management conference on January 22, 2024. If the parties require additional time to submit their bellwether selections, they shall notify the Court during December.”

8-20-23-  There are currently over 1,15o pending lawsuits filed in the Allergan Biocell MDL lawsuit in New Jersey Federal Court.

4-11-23- Allergan is confronted witha class action in the Netherlands. This breast implant class action in the Netherlands is pursued by 5,000 ladies because the manufacturer is alleged to not properly disclose the chance of BIA-ALCL.

1/18/2022- “Allergan Inc. and Allergan USA Inc. can keep New Jersey plaintiffs’ breast implant suit in the federal court in New Jersey, following its ruling that jurisdiction is proper under the Class Action Fairness Act.” Bloomberg law

4-15-22- There are 944 pending lawsuit in front of Brian R. Martinotti (U.S. District Judge) in MDL -2921  known as the “IN RE: Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Products Liability Litigation.”

1-19-22- There are currently 714 Allergan Biocell lawsuits pending in the Federal Court MDL in New Jersey.

12/20/21-  The Superior Court of New Jersey issued an amendment to the initial case management order indicating, “Paragraph 9 of said Order addresses the requirement that out-of-state attorneys representing Plaintiffs must certify that their retainer agreements will not violate any provision of the New Jersey Court Rules and that they must abide by the same retainer agreement requirements applicable to New Jersey attorneys.”

5-6-21- “HACKENSACK, N.J. — The judge overseeing the New Jersey Allergan Biocell breast implant multicounty litigation has refused to dismiss claims of strict liability and negligent failure to warn that are based upon allegations that the company did not disclose to the FDA the risk of cancer posed by the implants.However, in the May 4 opinion, Judge Rachelle L. Harz of the Bergen County (N.J.) Superior Court dismissed the claims based upon Allergan’s alleged failure to update the implants’ warnings via the federal permissive Changes Being Effected process…” Harris Martin

3/22/2021- “A federal judge in New Jersey has shut down part of a multi-district lawsuit against Allergan over its Biocell textured breast implants but kept most other parts of the litigation. Judge Brian Martinotti ruled on March 19 that some of the plaintiffs’ claims against Allergan (now part of AbbVie) were preempted by federal law while most others could stand — including one alleging that Allergan failed to report adverse events related to Biocell implants to the FDA.” Mass. device

October 1, 2020- “recently published study links breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) to implants manufactured by seven pharmaceutical companies. In addition to Allergan, the manufacturer of Biocell textured breast implants, the study names Mentor Worldwide, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, Silimed Polyurethane, Eurosilicone, Nagor, Orion, and Poly Implant Prothèse. Allergan faces at least 150 product liability and class action lawsuits. Mentor faces a smaller number, and none of the others are yet facing litigation.” Lawyers and settlements

8/24/2020- “Three more women have died from a cancer associated with certain kinds of breast implants—all within a six-month period starting just weeks before those implants were recalled. At least 36 women have now died of a cancer known as BIA-ALCL, for “breast implant–­associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma,” according to data the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released last week. The disease, which is not a breast cancer, has been linked in academic studies to a “textured” type of breast implants made by several manufacturers, and has especially affected patients with implants made by Allergan. In July 2019, after at least 33 women had died from BIA-ALCL, Allergan complied with an FDA request to voluntarily recall its textured implants. But the disease associated with those implants continued to claim lives, as I reported in a Fortune investigation earlier this year.” Fortune

6/1/2020- “On June 1, 2020, Allergan launched a dedicated multi-channel campaign to contact patients who may not be aware of the July 24, 2019, recall of BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders.  People who are not aware of the BIOCELL recall or do not know the type of implant they have or their implant history, should:

• Contact go to www.BIOCELLinformation.com to reach out to Allergan Aesthetics to determine if the company has their implant information.
• Contact their surgeon or hospital where they received implants to determine if the surgeon or hospital has records of their implant information.” FDA Biocell recall 

A recently published study links breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) to implants manufactured by seven pharmaceutical companies. In addition to Allergan, the manufacturer of Biocell textured breast implants, the study names Mentor Worldwide, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, Silimed Polyurethane, Eurosilicone, Nagor, Orion, and Poly Implant Prothèse. Allergan faces at least 150 product liability and class action lawsuits. Mentor faces a smaller number, and none of the others are yet facing litigation.

5-5-2020- “Plaintiffs respectfully submit this letter application requesting the designation of a MultiCounty Litigation (“MCL”) for centralized management titled: In re Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Litigation.”

7-30-19- “On July 30, 2019, Allergan announced it has created a BIOCELL Replacement Warranty for all customers that currently have BIOCELL textured implants (“the Warranty”). The Warranty provides that Allergan will provide Allergan smooth implants to replace the BIOCELL textured implants. However, Allergan will not provide any surgical fee assistance or reimbursement for the surgery to remove the BIOCELL textured implants and replace them with Allergan smooth implants. The Warranty will run for 24 months, until July 24, 2021, and will apply only to revision surgeries on or after the date of the FDA’s recall, July 24, 2019. ” Lawsuit complaint

• “…provides free smooth Allergan implant replacement.”
• “If a customer with a BIOCELL textured implant is diagnosed with BIA-ALCL, under the NATRELLE Confidence Plus Warranty, the customer will be reimbursed for diagnostic fees up to $1,000 and up to $7,500 in surgical fees related to diagnosing and treating BIA-ALCL.” Id.
• “… It applies to customers who are diagnosed with BIA-ALCL. The Warranty’s reimbursement of $1,000 for diagnostic fees and $7,500 for surgical removal and cancer treatment…”  Id.

7/24/19- “Allergan’s announcement on July 24, 2019, of a voluntary worldwide recall of its BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders. The announcement followed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s request to initiate the recall based on the risk of breast-implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) associated with the products. ” TRANSFER ORDER

12/1/ 18- “In December 2018, Allergan’s BIOCELL textured implants lost their European certification and were suspended from the European and Brazilian markets. Allergan textured implants were banned in France in April 2019. Allergan’s BIOCELL textured implants were banned in Canada in May 2019. ” Lawsuit complaint

Multidistrict Litigation in Federal Court

• Name of MDL is “ALLERGAN BIOCELL TEXTURED BREAST IMPLANT PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION.”
•  Court: UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
• Get all case management orders here.
• “These matters having been transferred to this Court by order of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pursuant to its order of December 18, 2019…” INITIAL CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER
• Case No. 2:19-md-02921 (BRM)(JAD)  MDL NO. 2921
• Presiding judges: JUDGE BRIAN R. MARTINOTTI , JUDGE JOSEPH A. DICKSON, JUDGE EDWARD S. KIEL
• Why was case  transferred to New Jersey? UNITED STATES JUDICIAL PANEL on MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION  reasoned that, “We conclude that the District of New Jersey is an appropriate transferee forum. Allergan USA, Inc., has its headquarters and principal place of business in this district, and represented at oral argument that significant common evidence, including witnesses, will be located there. Further, centralization in the District of New Jersey enables us to assign this litigation to Judge Brian R. Martinotti, an experienced transferee judge with the ability and willingness to manage this litigation. We are confident he will steer this matter on a prudent course.” Class action
• “All actions share complex factual questions arising from the allegation that Allergan’s BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders significantly increase the risk of developing BIA-ALCL, and that Allergan failed to warn the FDA, patients, and healthcare providers of this risk. The common factual questions include: (1) whether BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders can cause BIA-ALCL; (2) whether defendants knew or should have known of the risk of BIA-ALCL; (3) whether they provided adequate warnings as to the risk; and (4) the adequacy of defendants’ product.” TRANSFER ORDER
• Where did the parties request the Federal Court  to send the lawsuits? “The Allergan defendants request centralization in the District of New Jersey. Responding plaintiffs variously propose the Central District of California, the Southern District of New York, the Southern District of Florida, and the District of Kansas.” TRANSFER ORDER

New Jersey State Court Allergan Biocell Multicounty Litigation

• “This Notice is to advise that the Supreme Court, after considering the application and the comments received, has determined to designate cases involving allegations against Allergan, Inc., and Allergan USA, Inc. as  Multicounty litigation. The Court has assigned this MCL to Bergen County for centralized case management by Superior Court Judge Rachelle Harz.” Notice to bar
• “Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implants are products alleged to cause breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. On May 5, 2020, the Supreme Court designated pending and future New Jersey state court litigation alleging injuries from implantation of Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implants as multicounty litigation and assigned it to Bergen County for centralized management.” NJ Courts
• IN RE: ALLERGAN BIOCELL TEXTURED BREAST IMPLANT PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION
• SUPERIOR COURT NEW JERSEY
• Read the initial case management order here.

General Criteria for Allergen Breast implant lawsuit:

• Victim implanted with Allergan breast implants (textured)
• Victim receives a diagnosis of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA ALCL) or other cancer caused by the texture breast implant.
• The victim endured a revision surgery or the  breast implants were removed.

Allergan Sold Biocell Implants Until they Were Recalled

Allergan was the manufacturer of a breast implant called Natrelle Biocell. The company was one of the leaders in the global market for female breast implants. Although the company’s sales figures for this product were not notionally large, they were one of the larger worldwide makers of breast implants. Before the product ran into major trouble, annual sales were over a quarter of a billion dollars. Allergan started selling breast implants in 2006 and immediately moved to a position of market leadership. Thus, there are many thousands of women worldwide who have these particular Biocell implants in their bodies. The FDA estimated the number at hundreds of thousands.

Which implants are on the Allergan Implant Recall List?

The Allergan recall list, unfortunately, consists of 5 separate Allergen breast implants. The Allergen recall was for all lots of the below listed breast implants manufactured during these time period: July 2014 to July 2019. The United States recall covers approximately 250,000 implants. These recalled implants are all Natrelle BIOCELL textured products:

• Allergan Natrelle Saline-Filled Textured Breast Implants
• Allergan Natrelle 410 Highly Cohesive Anatomically Shaped Silicone- Filled Textured Breast Implants
• Allergan Natrelle Silicone-Filled Textured Breast Implants
• Allergan Natrelle 133 Tissue Expander with Suture Tabs
• Allergan Natrelle 133 Plus Tissue Expander

Implants textured instead of smooth

The Allergan breast implants were different from many other breast implants on the markets in that they were textured instead of smooth. The reason why the implants are textured is to allow scar tissue to stick to the implant. This will make it less likely to move around in the body. However, they do take longer to settle into the body.

Biocell Implants Were Linked to a Rare Form of Cancer

For Allergan, the problems with Biocell implants began when data showed that women who had these implants were more likely to develop a certain rare type of cancer. The first reports of the elevated risk were made by the FDA itself, but the regulator did not order the product pulled from the market. In January 2018, a Dutch research study actually quantified the risk that a woman would develop ALCL from these implants.

In November 2018, NBC News investigated and found that there were over 400 adverse event reports filed in the FDA system that linked these breast implants with cancer. These adverse event reports detail 33 deaths from this type of cancer linked with breast implants.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)

The actual cancer that these women were found to have was not breast cancer. Instead, it was a form of cancer called Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). This is a rare type of blood cancer. ALCL is so rare that only 1,400 cases of it per year were previously diagnosed. Depending on the type of ALCL, the five-year survival rate is between 70-90%. Nonetheless, the disease is a form of cancer that exposes patients to a potentially deadly condition and takes away from their quality of life.

At the time that NBC News broke the story about the elevated risk of ALCL tied to textured breast implants, the FDA was already in the middle of its own investigation. However, as is usually the case with potentially dangerous medications and medical devices, it was the European regulators who acted first.

Allergan Pulled the Product Off the European & American Market

Not long after public reports of the cases of ALCL, French regulators asked Allergan to withdraw the product from the market and took away its approval to sell the product in France. This took textured breast implants off the market in all of Europe. The FDA lagged behind European regulators in taking action. Initially, the FDA indicated that it did not intend to recall the product in the U.S. However, in July 2019, the FDA asked Allergan to recall its textured breast implants from the market. The company recalled all of the styles of its Natrelle Biocell breast implants that it produced.

Allergan’s products was six times that of the other textured implants

According to the FDA, while all textured implants raise the risk of ALCL, the risk associated with Allergan’s products was six times that of the other textured implants. The FDA noted that a large majority of ALCL cases from breast implants were from Allergan’s textured implants. The regulator did not advise that women who already had these implants get them removed. Instead, they advised women to work with their healthcare provider to continue to monitor the situation.

Even after Allergan issued the recall, the company still did not fulfill its obligations to the FDA after the recall. The company was required to complete a safety study as a condition of its approval for the product by the FDA. However, almost a year after the recall, Allergan was not making sufficient progress in the studies. As a result, the FDA issued a warning letter to Allergan.

Over 100 Lawsuits for ALCL Have Been Filed Against Allergan to Date

Women are beginning to file lawsuits against the company for the harm that they allegedly suffered from Allergan breast implants. Currently, there are a number of lawsuits concentrated in New Jersey. There are federal lawsuits that have been granted multidistrict status. In addition, there are state lawsuits that have just been granted multicounty status by New Jersey state court.

At the time that the plaintiffs’ attorneys filed the request to consolidate into a multicounty lawsuit, there were six state court lawsuits outstanding. There are expectations that up to 100 state court lawsuits may be filed in the future.

The federal multidistrict litigation is in the District of New Jersey

The federal multidistrict litigation is in the District of New Jersey. The initial status conference was held in January 2020 and the court continues to hold status conferences in the case. Currently, Allergan is working on motions to dismiss the case, even though these cases rarely end up being dismissed. As of July 2020, there were 143 actions pending in this MDL. These cases are still in their early phases, and it may be some time before they proceed to trial.

$5 million Biocell class action lawsuit in Florida

In addition, two women filed a $5 million class action lawsuit in Florida in connection with the allegedly defective implants. This case was related to the cost of surgery to replace implants that are already in women’s bodies. This is different from the product liability personal injury lawsuits that have been consolidated in federal and state courts in New Jersey. Thus, there are both consumer and injury lawsuits open right now.

Court restricted how Allergan could communicate with potential class members

Even after the lawsuit had been filed, Allergan was accused of conduct that, if true, would border on the unethical. Allergan contacted potential class members who had received the textured implants and offered to replace their implants free of charge. Included in the offer was the fact that the women would be releasing Allergan from liability if they accepted the new implants. The women accused Allergan of trying to trick them into waiving their lawsuit rights. As a result, the court issued an order that restricted how Allergan would be able to communicate with potential class members, presumably to prevent the company from trying to persuade class members to waive their litigation rights.

Breast implant lawyer

If you are a woman who has received Biocell implants from Allergan, you should be vigilant about any symptoms that you are not well. You should proactively work with your physician to monitor your condition. Legally, if you have developed ALCL after receiving Allergan breast implants, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation. You should contact a product liability lawyer to learn more about your legal rights and how you would file your own lawsuit against the company. If you were diagnosed with cancer after taking certain types of sunscreen with unacceptable level of benzene, contact a benzene sunscreen lawyer.