A Nanaimo woman who claims an injectable beauty treatment left her permanently disfigured had her case certified as a class-action lawsuit this month.
"I'm glad the judge in Vancouver thought that there was a case," said Sharon Logan. "All the women that have been affected by this, we now have a voice."
Logan had a product called Dermalive injected into her face in May 2006 to smooth out wrinkles. Dermalive, licensed for use in Canada between 2003 and 2007, was meant to be a permanent filler for wrinkles and other facial imperfections.
About six months later, Logan reported developing lumps on her face. Her doctor tried to fix the problem with painful steroid injections to no avail and she has small bumps and red scars running along her lip, cheek and nose.
She launched a lawsuit against Dermatech, Intradermal Distribution Inc. and Vivier Pharma Inc. in B.C. Supreme Court in 2009. The court approved certification of Logan's case as a class proceeding on Aug. 11.
Logan alleges the defendants provided her with misleading information about the risks associated with the use of Dermalive.
Her lawyer, David Rosenberg, said as many as 500 women across Canada could be eligible to join the lawsuit. Nearly 11,000 syringes were distributed in Canada between 2003 and 2007.
"If we prevail at the end of the day, these women will be compensated for their trauma, their injury, their disfigurement and their costs, including treatment," he said.
Rosenberg said France-based Dermatech probably no longer exists, as it was going bankrupt at the time he was trying to serve the company with the Writ of Summons, but the lawsuit also names the product's Canadian distributors.
Rosenberg estimates the case will be heard within the next year.
John Vamplew, a Vancouver lawyer representing Intradermal Distribution Inc. and Vivier Pharma Inc., said the companies have no comment for the media about the case.