Class Action Suit Filed Against Medtronic Canada Over MiniMed Insulin Pumps

Rochon Genova LLP and Cardill Law have commenced a proposed national class action on behalf of Canadian users of Medtronic MiniMed 630G and 670G insulin pumps against Medtronic Inc., Medtronic MiniMed Inc., and Medtronic of Canada Ltd.
 
The MiniMed 630G and 670G are medical devices used to manage diabetes. They were approved for use in Canada in 2016 and 2018. The MiniMed 600 series of insulin pumps has become one of the most commonly used in Canada and North America.
 
The MiniMed 600 series of insulin pumps have been subject to recalls due to reports of missing or broken retainer rings that could potentially cause over or under delivery of insulin. Health Canada issued a Type II Medical Device Recall for these insulin pumps on November 21, 2019, and a Type I recall on October 15, 2021. The FDA issued a Class 1 recall—the most serious type of recall—on February 7, 2020. At the time of the FDA recall, Medtronic had received over 26,000 complaints including over 2,000 injuries and at least 1 death.
 
The proposed class action alleges, among other things, that the Defendants knew, or ought to have known, that these devices suffered from a defective retainer ring, yet failed to take steps to address this defect or provide any warnings of the users of the pump until the devices had been on the market for several years and were in use by thousands of Canadians resulting in significant harm to the plaintiffs and class members.
 
One of the proposed Representative Plaintiffs began using a MiniMed 630G in 2017. She was hospitalized due to severe hyperglycemia. She says that this episode drastically affected her: “I turned to my mom not able to fully see yet from the swelling in my brain and thought I’m going to die,” Joel Rochon, a partner at Rochon Genova LLP, stated. “Canadians have a right to be informed about the risks associated with the medical devices that they use. Failure to provide adequate warnings can have serious consequences. In this case, the plaintiffs needlessly suffered severe hyperglycemia requiring hospitalization.”
 
The claims have not yet been proven in court.