SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - One of the dozens of lawsuits started by a lab that heated acne medicine to show it would turn into benzene targets the Harris brand of products.
A class action lawsuit was filed June 25 by Laura Willis Albrigo against Harris Pharmaceutical, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
The suit alleges that Harris Pharmaceutical's benzoyl peroxide (BPO) acne treatment products contain or degrade to form unsafe levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen.
The complaint cites findings from Valisure LLC which detected high levels of benzene in BPO products, including those marketed by Harris Pharmaceutical. Valisure did so by heating the products to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for significant periods of time.
Valisure's testing often jumpstarts lawsuits but has been criticized by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
The plaintiff claims that the presence of benzene was not disclosed on product labels and that consumers were misled about the safety of these products. The lawsuit seeks damages, attorneys' fees, costs, interest, restitution, and other equitable relief.
Adam Apton of Levi & Korsinsky represents the plaintiff.