By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
kmcneir@afro.com
Sickle cell awareness month, observed annually in September, is a time to raise awareness about sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide.
Throughout the month, medical professionals and nonprofit organizations like the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Inc. sponsor events that educate the public, highlight the challenges faced by individuals with the disease, advocate for research and treatments and provide support for sickle cell patients and their families.
Historically, one treatment for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) has been a stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant. However, with medical advancements, there are now different treatments for SCD in the form of drug therapies. However, they are intensive and expensive procedures, often carrying with them significant risks, including the possibility of death.
One drug therapy, Oxbryta, developed and released by Pfizer in 2019 after being approved by the FDA, has since been withdrawn from the market. But not without damaging ramifications. And that’s where LaRuby May, a former D.C. city council member and attorney, enters the picture.
As a partner of May Jung LLP, she, and her law partner, Je Yon Jung, are currently representing clients who were treated for SCD with Oxbryta and who continue to suffer in various ways. The other members of her legal team include Shelby Yarbrough and Starr Culpepper.
“We have the results of the clinical trials and know that Pfizer voluntarily withdrew the medication off the market,” May said. “As of 2024, they were facing charges that included negligence, false advertising product deficiencies. There are other claims as well. Our team is committed to representing our brothers and sisters who were harmed by this drug. The science is there – the drug was released prematurely and has caused irreparable damage.”
May said she still waits for the day when America’s leaders will do the right thing when it comes to people of color.
“The drug therapy Oxbryta was approved on an accelerated schedule under Donald Trump in 2019,” she said. “In July 2025, again under Trump, it was taken off the market. At the same time, the Administration revoked research that the NIH was doing to treat and cure SCD. I don’t have concrete evidence, but it is certainly quite a coincidence.”
May added that Blacks people have, for far too long, lived with health disparities when compared to White people.
“The health care disparity in America is real and it’s not getting smaller– but larger. Black are dying from SCD, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, diabetes–you name it. There’s an unacceptable gap in almost every aspect of health care and the quality of services that Blacks receive,” said May. “SCD is just one of many examples. People may be silent about SCD but it’s not because they don’t care. They just have so much with which they must contend that it’s sometimes overwhelming”
May said her team is “in it to win it.”
“One of our team members, Starr, has a daughter with SCD, so this is personal to her,” May said. “I believe we have assembled a powerful team. We are holding Pfizer accountable to their corporate responsibilities and are demanding that they put money into credible research that will lead to a cure for SCD.
“Black are tired of being used as test dummies without giving our permission. That’s why we often fail to become involved in clinical trials – we don’t trust the scientific community,” said May. “But to find a cure, we need more Blacks to become involved in clinical trials. For that to happen, drug companies and medical professionals are going to need to be transparent and honest.”
If you or a loved one has sickle cell disease and you have taken the medication Oxbryta, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact LaRuby May at (202) 869-3735, or email: laruby@mayjung.com.
