LOCAL : Watchdog Group Files Lawsuit in Artificial Heart Valve Case

A private watchdog group filed a class-action suit today against Pfizer Inc., the maker of an artificial heart valve that has been blamed for hundreds of deaths.

The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Public Citizen, a nonprofit watchdog group founded by consumer activist Ralph Nader, on behalf of the more than 80,000 individuals who have had Pfizer’s Shiley heart valve implanted in their chests.

Pfizer’s Shiley Inc. subsidiary is headquartered in Irvine.

The suit asks the court to order Pfizer to notify all people in whom the valve has been implanted of the risks and symptoms of the device’s failure.

It also asks Pfizer to pay for medical consultations and for psychological counseling.

Pfizer, which has acknowledged that it is aware of at least 394 instances of valve failures and 252 deaths linked to the device, called today’s suit “completely without merit.”