$2.4 million settlement reached in diluted chemotherapy drug lawsuit

A tentative settlement of nearly $2.4 million has been reached in a class-action lawsuit filed after cancer patients were given diluted chemotherapy drugs.

It was discovered in 2013 that more than 1,000 patients in Ontario and New Brunswick had been given chemo solutions prepared by a Hamilton-based company, Marchese Health Care, that contained too much saline – a substance used to water down the powerful and often toxic medication to make it safe for patients.

In April 2014, an Ontario legislative committee cleared Marchese saying Medbury, the company that arranged the contract, didn’t specify the drug concentration.

If the court approves the settlement on January 10, class members would receive about $1500 each after legal fees and expenses.