A Kentucky woman is the among the latest plaintiffs to file a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals over its antibiotic Levaquin.

Geraldine B. says she suffered peripheral neuropathy as a result of intravenous Levaquin, a fluoroquinolone. She alleges that the pharmaceutical companies failed to provide users with adequate warnings about the risk of permanent nerve damage from the drug. She’s also alleging negligence, failure to warn, strict liability, fraud, breach of warranty, fraudulent concealment and negligent misrepresentation.

Geraldine is seeking punitive and compensatory damages.

Following intravenous Levaquin administered at Pineville Community Hospital in Kentucky, the plaintiff began manifesting symptoms of peripheral neuropathy – nerve damage – including pain, burning, weakness or numbness in the hands or feet, and limited range of motion, feeling and sensitivity.

Peripheral neuropathy can occur at any time during treatment with fluoroquinolones and can last for months to years after the drug is stopped, or be permanent. Patients using fluoroquinolones who develop any symptoms of peripheral neuropathy should tell their health care professionals right away.

Hands and feet are the most common body parts to experience peripheral neuropathy, often referred to as “glove and stocking syndrome.”

The risk of peripheral neuropathy occurs only with fluoroquinolones that are taken by mouth or by injection. Topical formulations of fluoroquinolones, applied to the ears or eyes, are not known to be associated with this risk.

Approximately 23.1 million patients received a dispensed prescription for an oral fluoroquinolone product from retail pharmacies in 2011. The medical journal Neurology published a study earlier this year in which research showed that use of Levaquin and other fluoroquinolones may double the risk of peripheral neuropathy

In August 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an announcement requiring the drug labels and Medication Guides for all fluoroquinolones be updated to better describe the serious side effect of peripheral neuropathy. This serious nerve damage potentially caused by fluoroquinolones may occur soon after these drugs are taken and may be permanent.

Between 1997 and 2010 the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (AERS) documented 2,500 reports of deaths linked to quinolones, in addition to 45,000 negative quinolone side effects. The agency noted that only 10 percent of adverse drug reactions are picked up by AERS, which means about 90 percent of all adverse drug reactions go unreported.

Levaquin was the best-selling antibiotic in the United States in 2010, according to a 2012 report in The New York Times, but in 2011, it was the subject of more than 2,000 lawsuits filed by patients who had suffered severe reactions from the potent drug.