Oxbryta Injury Lawsuit Over Discontinued Sickle Cell Disease Drug Set for Trial in June 2027

A federal judge has issued a scheduling order in an Oxbryta injury lawsuit, calling for the claim to be prepared to go before a jury by summer of 2027, which may be the first federal trial over side effects of the discontinued sickle cell disease drug.

Oxbryta (voxelotor) was introduced by Global Blood Therapeutics in 2019, as the first medication to treat the root cause of sickle cell disease, which it was supposed to do by improving hemoglobin levels in the body and helping the blood cells retain more oxygen.

In 2022, Pfizer acquired the original developer for $5.4 billion, and continued marketing Oxbryta as a safe and effective sickle cell disease drug, at an estimated annual cost of more than $88,000 for each patient.

However, following a large number of reports involving users experiencing painful Oxbryta sickle cell complications and deaths, Pfizer announced a global Oxbryta recall in September 2024, after determining that risks associated with the treatment outweigh the potential benefits, discontinuing the drug only five years after it hit the market.

Over the past few months, a number of Oxbryta injury lawsuits have been filed in federal and state courts across the country, each raising similar allegations that the manufacturers placed profits over the health and safety of patients with sickle cell disease who relied on the drug for relief.

One of those complaints was brought by Tirrell Allen in November 2024, indicating that side effects of Oxbryta caused him to suffer a stroke, in addition to pain, swelling and a higher rate of sickle cell disease-related incidents, known as vaso-occlusive crises (VOC).

Vaso-occlusive crises 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 can suffer death following a vaso-occlusive event.

On February 7, Allen and the drug manufacturers filed a joint case management statement (PDF) in the case, outlining their respective positions on issues in the case and the scope of anticipated discovery.

U.S. District Judge Trian Thompson issued a case management and scheduling order (PDF) in the Allen case on February 15, scheduling the case to go to trial by June 7, 2027.

The schedule calls for the completion of fact discovery by December 15, 2025, and expert discovery by April 10, 2026. Judge Thompson indicates that dispositive and Daubert motions should be filed by December 11, 2026, with a final pretrial conference set for May 6, 2027.

In addition, Judge Thompson has called for the parties to submit a joint statement by next Friday, detailing all related injury lawsuits filed after Oxybryta was discontinued, including an outline of claims brought in federal and state courts, as well as the current status of the lawsuits.

While the outcome of the Allen trial will not be binding on other lawsuits over Oxbryta, it is likely to be closely watched to see how the jury responds to evidence and testimony that will likely be repeated throughout a large number of claims. The outcome may also help spur the parties to reach an Oxbryta settlement agreement for former users of the discontinued drug.