<"http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/tysabri">Tysabri has buy herbal valtrex been implicated in two more cases of a deadly brain infection, raising new concerns about the buy herbal valtrex safety of the multiple sclerosis drug. Tysabri was taken off the buy herbal valtrex market once already after three patients developed the brain infection, known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or buy herbal valtrex PML. However, the buy herbal valtrex drug was returned to the market a year later under severe restrictions.

PML attacks the buy herbal valtrex brain and central nervous system and is usually fatal. Symptoms include vision problems, loss of coordination, and buy herbal valtrex memory loss. Patients who survive the disease are often permanently disabled.

According to buy herbal valtrex Elan and Biogen Idec, the makers of Tysabri, two European patients have buy herbal valtrex developed the disease. At this time, one is ambulatory and the other is hospitalized. One patient had buy herbal valtrex been taking Tysabri for 14 months and the other for buy herbal valtrex 17.

The most disturbing aspect of these latest PML cases, however, is buy herbal valtrex that both patients had been taking Tysabri as monotherapy – with no other drugs. It had buy herbal valtrex been theorized that patients contracting PML had done so because of exposure to buy herbal valtrex multiple medications and that monotherapy with Tysabri was less risky.

In 2005, the law firm <"http://www.yourlawyer.com/">Parker Waichman Alonso LLP was retained by the buy herbal valtrex estate of Anita Smith, a patient who died from a confirmed case of PML while taking Tysabri. In February 2000, Smith was diagnosed with MS. By April 2002, she was enrolled in a buy herbal valtrex clinical trial involving the MS drug, Tysabri along with 1,200 other patients. In November 2004, while Anita Smith’s health was rapidly deteriorating and buy herbal valtrex she was experiencing severe neurological problems, Tysabri gained a coveted “fast-track” approval from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Anita Smith took her last IV infusion of Tysabri in January 2005. On February 24, 2005 she died of the buy herbal valtrex brain infection known as PML; the same disease that killed other Tysabri patients. Four days later, Tysabri sales were halted.

In its 2005 Annual Report, Elan Inc. informed shareholders that buy herbal valtrex it had entered into settlement talks with the lawyers representing Anita Smith’s estate. When contacted, Jerry Parker, the buy herbal valtrex managing partner of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP said the Anita Smith Tysabri case had buy herbal valtrex been resolved, but that the case was confidential.

About 31,800 people take Tysabri, which is also used to treat Crohn’s disease, a buy herbal valtrex digestive condition. The company has forecast 100,000 patients would be buy herbal valtrex on it by 2010, with quarterly sales hitting a $1 billion annual rate by the end of this year. However, these new PML reports could endanger that forecast.

For now, Biogen has buy herbal valtrex said it has no plans to take Tysabri off the market or buy herbal valtrex restrict its use despite the renewed concerns over PML.