Additional Levaquin Lawsuits Filed - By: Katie Kelley

The manufacturers of a potent antibiotic known as Levaquin are facing additional litigation. the companies involved in the production and distribution, Johnson and Johnson, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development and Walgreens, have all been named as defendants in what is rapidly shaping up to be one of the larger pharmaceutical class action lawsuits in the past decade. In an effort to concentrate all pending suits into a single judgment, a motion was recently filed to consolidate all pending litigation against the companies into a larger class action lawsuit. There have been several separate cases filed across the United States by prominent personal injury attorneys, however, these cases are not isolated to the US. Internationally, medical practitioners and safety groups have questioned the efficacy of Levaquin and the connection to potentially serious tendon rupture.

On September 2, 2009 fifteen additional lawsuits were filed by residents of Illinois alleging severe tendon problems. All cases further state that while taking Levaquin, they were unaware of the serious risk of tendon injuries, including rupture, and as a result suffered serious and lasting tendon injuries. These claims are almost identical to other lawsuits filed against Johnson and Johnson et al., with essentially the same allegations. In fact, litigation regarding Levaquin is nothing new for the companies, though the scope of this most recent surge may be a unique experience for them.

When Levaquin was introduced, the risk of tendon rupture was buried in a long list of many potential side effects. Despite the severe risk, the long list of side effects buried one of the more damaging problems. Yet, the risk of serious and debilitating tendon injuries while taking Levaquin was significantly higher for the average patient and nearly triple that of other antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone family in people over 60. In what appears to be one of the more potentially damaging pieces of evidence, Levaquin was touted as having an excellent safety rating and as being one of the safest antibiotics on the market. This seems to be an intentional cover-up of what could be a sincere health concern.

Though Levaquin has been under intense scrutiny lately, this is also nothing new. Since 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been issuing increasingly more insistent warnings on the drug, requiring stronger and stronger labeling and mandatory informational packets explaining the risk of serious tendon side effects, such as tendon rupture. In 2008, the FDA finally required that Levaquin carry the black box warning, the most serious warning label the FDA can require a drug to carry. Many patients who experience a Levaquin related tendon rupture are often severely disabled as a result of the side effects of the medication. Many patients are forced to take legal action as their only means of receiving monetary compensation to cover the costly medical treatments and rehabilitation.

About the Author

LegalView.info hosts a wide range of legal resources regarding levaquin. Access to a Levaquin Lawsuit as well as a mesothelioma Lawyer are available free of charge from the website.

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