Just a little over a year since federal regulators ordered that Levaquin and similar antibiotics bear Black Box warnings about their association with serious tendon injuries, the first Levaquin lawsuits are beginning to circulate through the courts.
According to The Wall Street Journal, one of the latest Levaquin lawsuits was just filed in a New Jersey state court on behalf of three plaintiffs from around the U.S. The lawsuit charges that Johnson & Johnson and Ortho-McNeil represented Levaquin as a safe antibiotic despite its known association with tendon damage. The attorney representing the three Levaquin plaintiffs also pointed out that the drug is far more expensive than generic alternatives that have better safety profiles, the Journal said.
In 2008, the Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) required that the labeling of Levaquin and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics be revised to include a Black Box warning about tendon injuries. At the time, the FDA database showed 262 reported cases of tendon ruptures, 259 cases of tendinitis, and 274 cases of other tendon disorders associated with these drugs. The majority of tendon ruptures – 61 percent – were tied to Levaquin.
big wednesday download At the time, the FDA warned that pain, swelling, inflammation, and tears of tendons including the Achilles, shoulder, hand, or others can happen in patients taking Levaquin. The agency said such injuries were more likely to occur in people who are over 60 years of age, taking steroids (corticosteroids), or who have undergone a kidney, heart, or lung transplant.
The most common tendon injury associated with Levaquin involves the Achilles tendon. Tendinitis and tendon rupture in the rotator cuff (the shoulder), the hand, the biceps, and the thumb have also been reported. In some cases, Levaquin tendon ruptures have required surgical repair, and victims have needed to undergo extensive rehab. Tendon rupture can occur during or after completion of a course of Levaquin, although cases occurring up to several months after completion of therapy have been reported.
The first Levaquin tendon injury trial is expected to begin sometime in the late summer of 2010. Most litigation specialists expect thousands of people to file such lawsuits against the makers of Levaquin and similar drugs. Last June, federal Levaquin lawsuits were consolidated in a Multidistrict Litigation before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim in the District of Minnesota. Recently, attorneys representing Levaquin victims in New Jersey state court requested that those lawsuits be centralized before one judge, as well.
<You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Thanks so much for getting the word out. My Achilles tendon ruptured shortly after I took a coarse of Tequin (another brand of basically the same drug). I ended up having to have surgery to repair it. The drug company knew of this in the mid 1990’s and my injury happened in 2003. Suits are not enough. The people involved should lose everything and spend the rest of their lives breaking rocks.
May 31st, 2009 at 10:53 am
Does anyone know a lawfirm that will go after the drug company for the other serious side effects many people have suffered, including myself, such as nerve damage? Thanks.
June 10th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Finally! May justice prevail! I suffered bilateral Achilles tendinopathy from this POISON, resulting in 4 months on crutches and intensive physical therapy. And, I still have weeks of strengthening exercises ahead of me to regain all of the muscle strength, etc, I lost during this painful process. I agree with Chuck S in #1…lock them up and throw away the key!
June 11th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
On the night of May 25, 2009 I was treated with a Levaquin IV drip in the ER for pnuemonia. During the night of May 27, I awoke with the most excruciating pain in my let shoulder. MRI has shown damage to the tendons, rotator cuff, bursitis, encapuslated fluid beneath the clavicle and a small amouont of chronic arthritis. I had no problem with my shoulder before that time. June 9, my inner thigh tendon became extremely painful requiring Vicodin for relief. I am currently in PT 3 x wk and steroids. Will this heal or will I long term problems?
August 17th, 2009 at 4:59 am
I HAD KIDNEY SURGERY in 2002. I was given havy doses of levaquin and cipro. I started having shoulder pain not too long afterward. I finally had to have an MRI in 2006. I have two partial tears in my rotator cuff and a partial tear in my labrium.
September 16th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I too have suffered Multiple complications, along with Tendonitis, skin disorders, nerve damage, continuing hypersensitivity, etc etc, from Levaquin, starting with the very first dose.
A former drug rep has stated he suffered from multiple conditions as well.
Would like to know of attorneys not just focusing on one area of adverse effects.
There are years of research that show way more bad effects, including death, interference with healing, etc.