Pfizer Settles Wrongful Death Case Over Recalled Sickle Cell Drug Oxbryta
Pfizer has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by a Tennessee widow who says her husband died after taking Oxbryta, the sickle cell medication withdrawn worldwide in 2024 due to safety concerns.
The settlement ends one of the first legal challenges involving the drug.
Diana Ford filed the Oxbryta lawsuit after her husband, Bruce Ford, died in May 2024. According to the complaint, he had taken Oxbryta for about two years before experiencing severe health complications that the family believes were tied to the medication. He suffered repeated vaso-occlusive crises, painful blockages of blood flow that are common in sickle cell disease, and ultimately died after a stroke.
The lawsuit claims Pfizer and Global Blood Therapeutics, the drug’s original developer, failed to warn patients and doctors about risks linked to Oxbryta. Court records show the companies agreed to a settlement in October 2025, requesting extra time to finalize the agreement. Details about the settlement were not disclosed.
A Promising Drug That Quickly Raised Concerns
Oxbryta (voxelotor) entered the market in 2019. It was the first medication aimed at improving oxygen delivery in people with sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that causes red blood cells to stiffen and form a sickle shape. These cells can clog blood vessels and cut off oxygen to tissues, leading to VOCs, organ damage and long-term complications.
The drug was designed to keep red blood cells from sickling. Oxbryta was ushered through the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway, a process that allows medications for life-threatening conditions to reach patients sooner based on early clinical data. The drugmaker was required to continue trials after approval to confirm that its treatment actually worked as intended.
In follow-up trials, the Oxbryta data raised serious red flags.
By September 2024, data from the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System showed that regulators received more than 21,000 reports of complications linked to the drug. Nearly 9,000 were classified as serious, and 363 involved patient deaths. Many of these reports described worsening VOCs, the complication the drug was supposed to help prevent.
FAERS reports don’t prove that a medication caused an injury, but large surges in reports can signal emerging safety problems.
Pfizer Withdraws Oxbryta After New Trial Deaths
In early 2024, Pfizer stopped clinical trials of Oxbryta after seeing more deaths and complications among study participants taking the drug. Months later, the company voluntarily removed Oxbryta from the global market.
Former Oxbryta users across the country are contacting attorneys, claiming the drug worsened their condition or caused new health problems. Several lawsuits have already been filed, and attorneys expect more cases to emerge as patients learn about the recall and trial data.
