San Francisco, California – Trebor Hardiman, a sickle cell patient from California, has filed a lawsuit against Pfizer’s wholly owned subsidiary Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc., claiming that the medication Oxbryta, developed, distributed, and sold by the company caused him significant injury.

The lawsuit, filed on Hardiman’s behalf by the law firm Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz (AWKO), alleges that the company failed to warn of serious risks which led to Mr. Hardiman suffering severe injuries. The case was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of San Francisco.

“Our firm is committed to ensuring that our Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) community is provided with adequate, safe and effective pharmaceutical drug therapies,” AWKO founding partner Bryan Aylstock said in a statement. “Based on our investigation, we believe that Oxbryta carries unreasonable and unwarned risks to its users. We are proud of all of the SCD patients who have stepped forward to provide assistance in bringing more awareness to this unfortunate situation and we will fight to ensure they all receive the attention and justice they deserve.”

Oxbryta is manufactured as an oral therapy for patients with sickle cell disease.

Hardiman began taking Oxbryta in 2020 under the belief that it would help manage his sickle cell disease. However, in fall 2024, he suffered a stroke, which led to significant vision loss—a condition the lawsuit attributes to Oxbryta.

On September 25, 2024, Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc., and Pfizer, Inc., recalled all lots of the medication, citing data that showed “an imbalance in VOCs and fatal events.”  Pfizer’s decision was “based on the totality of clinical data that now indicates the overall benefit of Oxbryta no longer outweighs the risk in the approved sickle cell patient population.”  This recall prompted Hardiman to discontinue the medication, following a call from the company informing him of the risks.

Hardiman alleged that he experienced excruciating pain and multiple VOCs, leading to a week-long hospitalization at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

The lawsuit further claims that the companies failed to adequately warn patients about the serious risks associated with the medication and alleges that these risks ultimately outweighed the potential benefits of the treatment.

​​AWKO is driven to protect the rights of consumers who are seriously injured as a result of defective products, defective medical devices, accidents or other negligent behavior. For more information on this case, contact us at (850) 202-1010.

CASE INFORMATION
San Francisco Superior Court of California
TREBOR HARDIMAN v GLOBAL BLOOD THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Case No. CGC-24-619197