Teva and Baxter to pay $500 million in punitive damages, Nevada court rules; Teva settles with Watson

Israel-headquartered Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and USA based Baxter Healthcare Services have been ordered to pay a combined $500 million in punitive damages to a Nevada, USA, man who contracted hepatitis C during an outbreak two years ago, claimed to have been caused by a product from the two companies.

The Clark County District Court jury in Nevada ordered Teva to pay $356 million and Baxter $144 million in the largest jury award in state's history, said attorney Robert Eglet. He explained that Henry Chanin and more than 100 others contracted hepatitis C after the anesthetic propofol were reused for colonoscopy or endoscopy procedures. Teva made the drug and Baxter distributed the anesthetic.

The case is the first of nearly 250 civil cases stemming from a hepatitis C outbreak related to use of propofol in endoscopy procedures at a clinic two years ago. The outbreak was apparently caused by administration of the drug to more than one patient from the same vial.