PRELIMINARY INFORMATION:

The association has produced a booklet on medico-legal procedures, which should be read before undertaking any procedure, whether amicable or judicial.

https://amavea.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Livret-Judiciaire.pdf

Several procedures are possible at the DANTE firm depending on the situation: Legal proceedings or amicable procedure.

The appropriateness of each procedure is assessed based on the information in the case file, once it has been compiled.

We draw your attention to the fact that these are individual proceedings, and no class action is being proposed at this time.

Indeed, each situation, each consumption of progestins, each harm, must be studied individually, because each patient presents a different situation with its own impact .

However, the lessons learned from individual procedures constitute the collective dimension, which ultimately benefits each of the cases.

Consequently, a real group effect exists in the litigation concerning synthetic progestins, materialized by the number of cases filed by the DANTE firm against laboratories and the State.

AGENDA for March 31, 2026

1- Compensation scheme:

As a reminder, Cabinet DANTE and AMAVEA are working to create an amicable compensation scheme for all victims of synthetic progestins, as this will lighten compensation procedures, in particular by simplifying expert assessments and accelerating the processing of cases.

To that end, we had offered to help us by sending informational letters to your members of parliament and senators.

We thank you for the strong support you have shown by sending hundreds of letters.

This great energy has helped to draw the attention of parliamentarians to the situation of victims of progestins and the latter have expressed their solidarity and their wish to see the creation of this compensation scheme.

The dissemination of information is in itself a first victory!

To date, and despite the support of your elected officials, the response from the Ministry of Health is not favorable to the creation of such a system.

The Ministry argues its refusal by making the necessary recognition of responsibility by a court in the context of this litigation conditional.

Naturally, through some twenty cases, the Dante law firm and the AMAVEA association are working to have the State's responsibility judged by the Montreuil Administrative Court. The proceedings are ongoing.

We draw your attention to the fact that the creation of this compensation scheme is independent of individual legal proceedings . This means that even without the establishment of this scheme, it is still possible to initiate individual legal proceedings to hold the state and the laboratory liable.

2- Update on other procedures

Anxiety :

This procedure aims to have the harm of anxiety arising from the use of Androcur recognized, which may cause the user concern about her future and the evolution of her health. Unlike other procedures, only exposure to risk is taken into account here.

This is a legal proceeding that the DANTE law firm will initiate only concerning Androcur for the time being, as this case is more advanced legally. The DANTE firm will then proceed with other progestins.

As with other procedures, the applications will be individual but grouped under the same summons, which means that a single document targeting several patients individually will be submitted to the judge.

Finally, as mentioned several times and as a reminder, cases including a consumption period ending exclusively before 2004 cannot be included in this procedure.

Example: Androcur use between 1995 and 2002. => impossible

On the other hand, cases with consumption prior to and after 2004 are fully eligible for such a procedure.

Example: Androcur use between 1995 and 2010 => possible

Referrals for expert opinions:

The summary expert assessment procedure allows a judge to order a medical expert evaluation. This evaluation is necessary and mandatory to establish the causal link between medication use and the development of meningiomas, as well as to assess the resulting long-term effects of these meningiomas.

This is a procedure that has been in place for several years now, which works well and for which the expert reports submitted by the Experts are good.

Applications continue to be submitted regularly.

However, there is progress regarding the new progestins implicated by the ANSM as presenting a risk of developing meningioma, in the same way as Androcur, Lutéran and Lutényl.

Indeed, we are obtaining the first expert reports relating to these progestins (such as desogestrel), and these are encouraging, notably with the recognition by the Experts of a risk comparable to those observed with progestins (Lutéran, Lutényl) in case of consumption over a long period and in association with other pills.

The procedure before the Judicial Court:

The objective in this case is to hold the laboratory(ies) or prescribing physician(s) responsible when necessary.

The procedure is underway, and it's taking time. This is because the laboratories are taking their time with the exchanges. However, there's nothing to worry about; it's normal.

The procedure before the Administrative Court:

The objective before the Administrative Court is to have the State held responsible.

There are currently around twenty cases in progress, we have received the initial arguments from the State and we continue to exchange views before the judge.

We hope to have the first pleadings by the beginning of next year.

To prepare a file or to obtain information from the DANTE firm:

Call 0143224453 or email vp@dante-avocats.fr and/or op@dante-avocats.fr