Lucas P. Przymusinkski

Lucas P. Przymusinski

Partner
About

Dr. Lucas Przymusinski is an internal medicine physician and partner in DLA Piper's Product Liability, Mass Tort and Product Stewardship group.  He focuses his practice on drug and device litigation, mass torts, product liability, and regulatory issues.  For the past two years, Dr. Przymusinski has been recognized by Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner in the Healthcare & Life Sciences sector.

Dr. Przymusinski has led the scientific and legal defense of numerous mass tort litigations, representing some of the largest pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.  He has been involved in every stage of litigation, including strategic assessment and planning, motion practice, expert development, trial and appellate practice.

Dr. Przymusinski also regularly counsels life sciences clients on litigation, regulatory, risk management and mitigation, corporate governance and other product-related issues.  He also helps guide clients through the FDA Advisory Committee process and assists in developing strategic responses to product safety-issues, recalls and related FDA enforcement actions.  

Bar admissionsGeorgiaNew YorkNorth Carolina
CourtsSupreme Court of GeorgiaSupreme Court of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Western District of New YorkUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States District Court for the Northern District of GeorgiaUnited States District Court for the Middle District of North CarolinaUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

EXPERIENCE

Representative of his experience are the following cases:
  • Hernia Mesh LitigationCo-national counsel for Medtronic in product liability litigation alleging injuries related to the use of hernia mesh

  • Essure LitigationCounsel for Bayer in product liability litigation alleging injuries related to the use of the Essure birth control device

  • Eliquis Product Liability Litigation: National counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. in product liability litigation alleging that Eliquis causes bleeding
  • In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2502 (D. S.C.): Counsel for Pfizer Inc. in product liability litigation alleging that Lipitor causes type 2 diabetes 
  • In re Incretin Mimetics Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2452 (S.D. Cal.): National Counsel for Novo Nordisk Inc. in product liability litigation alleging that Victoza cause pancreatic cancer
  • In re Chantix (Varenicline) Product Liability Litigation, MDL 2092 (N.D. Ala.): Counsel for Pfizer Inc. in product liability litigation involving Chantix, an aid to smoking cessation treatment
  • In re Prempro Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1507 (E.D. Ark.): Counsel for Pfizer Inc. and Wyeth in product liability litigation involving claims that hormone therapy medication causes breast cancer
  • In re Seroquel Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1769 (M.D. Fla.): Counsel for AstraZeneca in product liability litigation alleging that Seroquel causes type 2 diabetes
REPRESENTATIVE DECISIONS
  • In re Incretin-Based Therapies Prod. Liab. Litig., No. 13-md-2452-AJB-MDD, 2021 WL 880316 (S.D. Cal. Mar. 9, 2021) (granting summary judgement in all MDL cases based on general causation and conflict preemption in litigation involving claims that diabetes medications cause pancreatic cancer)
  • Utts v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Case No. 16cv5668, 2017 WL 1906875 (S.D.N.Y May 8, 2017) aff’d Gibbons v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 919 F.3d 699 (2d Cir. 2019) (dismissing plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice on federal preemption and adequacy of warnings grounds)
  • Utts v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 226 F.3d 166 (S.D.N.Y 2016) (dismissing plaintiffs’ design defect claims with prejudice on federal preemption grounds)
  • In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Mktg., Sales Practices & Prod. Liab. Litig., No. MDL214MN02502RMG, 2016 WL 1251828, at *19 (D.S.C. Mar. 30, 2016) (excluding plaintiffs’ general causation experts’ testimony that Lipitor can cause diabetes at doses below 80 mg)
  • In re Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Mktg., Sales Practices & Prod. Liab. Litig., 150 F. Supp. 3d 644 (D.S.C. 2015) (excluding plaintiff’s specific causation expert)
  • In re Incretin-Based Therapies Prod. Liab. Litig., 142 F. Supp. 3d 1108, 1132 (S.D. Cal. 2015) (granting summary judgement in all MDL cases based on conflict preemption in litigation involving claims that diabetes medications cause pancreatic cancer)
  • In re Byetta Cases, 2015 WL 7184655 (Cal. Super. Nov. 13, 2015) (granting summary judgement in all JCCP cases based on conflict preemption in litigation involving claims that diabetes medications cause pancreatic cancer)
  • In re Prempro Prods. Liab. Litig., No. 4:03-CV-1507-WRW, 2010 WL 3447293 (E.D. Ark. Aug. 30, 2010) (excluding expert testimony that Premarin is capable of causing breast cancer)
  • In re Prempro Prods. Liab. Litig., Nos. 4:03CV1507-WRW, 6:05CV06074, 2011 WL 178574 (W.D. Ark. Jan. 19, 2011) (excluding expert testimony that short-term use of Prempro is capable of causing breast cancer)
  • Scaife v. AstraZeneca LP, 2009 WL 1610575 (Del. Super. June 9, 2009) (excluding expert testimony that Seroquel caused plaintiff to develop diabetes )
  • Haller v. AstraZeneca Pharm. LP, 598 F. Supp. 2d 1271 (M.D. Fla. 2009) (excluding expert testimony that Seroquel caused plaintiff to develop diabetes )
  • Guinn v. AstraZeneca Pharm. LP, 598 F. Supp. 2d 1239 (M.D. Fla. 2009), aff'd, 602 F.3d 1245 (11th Cir. 2010) (excluding expert testimony that Seroquel caused plaintiff to develop diabetes)
Languages
  • Polish
Education
  • J.D., Duke University School of Law 2007
    Editorial Board, Law & Contemporary Problems Journal
    cum laude
  • M.D., Albany Medical College 2001
  • B.S., Biology, Duke University 1995

Awards

  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Next Generation Partner, Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices - Defense (2023)
    • Next Generation Partner, Healthcare: Life Sciences (2020-2021, 2023)
    • Recommended, Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices - Defense (2017)

Bylines

2019 Law360 articles and DLA Piper client alerts: 

  • In Albrecht, US Supreme Court narrows implied preemption of failure-to-warn claims, finds preemption is legal issue for judge, not jury, by Ilana Eisenstein, Loren Brown, Lucas Przymusinski, Stan Panikowski and Adam Pierson, May 2019
  • Significant preemption win for Bristol-Myers-Squibb and Pfizer in Eliquis product liability multi-district litigation by Matt Holian and Lucas Przymusinski, March 2019
  • Supreme Court hears oral argument in Fosamax: key takeaways by Ilana Eisenstein, Loren Brown, Lucas Przymusinski and Stan Panikowski, January 2019

Prior Experience

Before attending law school, Dr. Przymusinski completed an internship in internal medicine at Scripps Hospital in San Diego, California.

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