A Clark County (Nev.) District Court jury order Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, which manufactures propofol injections, and Baxter Healthcare, which distributed the drug, to pay a combined $500 million in punitive damages to Henry Chanin and his wife, after Mr. Chanin was infected with hepatitis C after receiving an injection from a reused vial of propofol at a Las Vegas clinic, according to a report in the New York Times.
Teva, which was ordered to pay $365 million, said in a statement that the company clearly labeled the vials as single use and that aseptic procedures should be used at all times. The company believes there is enough evidence to warrant an appeal of the court's decision.
Baxter, which was ordered to pay $144 million, said it would also submit an appeal.
Mr. Chanin's case is the first of many to reach trial after a 2006 hepatitis C outbreak at Las Vegas endoscopy clinics. The $500 million award follows more than $5 million already awarded to Mr. Chanin and his wife by the same jury, according to the report.
Read the New York Times' report about the Las Vegas hepatitis C trial.