Defendants Seek to Bar Expert Opinions in Third Party Payors’ Valsartan Cases

CAMDEN, N.J. — Defendants in lawsuits brought by third party payors in the MDL docket for valsartan-containing drugs (VCDs) have asked a New Jersey federal judge to exclude Dr. Rena Conti’s opinion that the drugs were “worthless,” calling it an “overly simplistic assumption.”

In a Feb. 12 motion filed before Judge Robert B. Kugler of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the defendants argue that Dr. Conti’s opinion “is belied by the expert judgment of the FDA, the opinions of patients, TPPs, health insurers themselves, and common sense.”

“Relying on this overly simplistic assumption, Dr. …