The antibiotic Levaquin (levofloxacin) causes sudden, serious, and potentially permanent nerve damage, according to a recent lawsuit filed in California federal court.

Levaquin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is commonly prescribed to treat bacterial infections of the sinuses, skin, lungs, ears, airways, bones, and joints. It is also used to treat urinary tract infections, among other conditions caused by infectious bacteria.

The Levaquin nerve damage lawsuit was filed by Texas resident Donna P., who claims the antibiotic caused her to develop peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy is minor to severe nerve damage which often causes numbness in the hands and feet. A growing number of antibiotic users are claiming in product liability lawsuits, like the one filed by Donna, that fluoroquinolones such as Levaquin are causing them to suffer from this painful condition.

The manufacturers of Levaquin are currently defending a number of peripheral neuropathy lawsuits accusing the companies of failing to adequately disclose the risk of antibiotic nerve damage on their drug warning labels. While the FDA did approve a label change in 2004 to include Levaquin peripheral neuropathy, many patients complained that the label’s language was ambiguous, unclear, and difficult to understand.

“The warning label for Levaquin during the period from September 2004 through
August 2013 [when Donna took Levaquin] misled Plaintiff and her treating physician by incorrectly advising patients and physicians that peripheral neuropathy associated with Levaquin was ‘rare’ and in any case could be avoided by discontinuing the drug upon the onset of certain symptoms,” the Levaquin lawsuit states. “The truth, however, is that the onset of irreversible peripheral neuropathy is often rapid and discontinuation of the drug will not ensure that the peripheral neuropathy is reversible.”

The Levaquin lawsuit continues:

Though this injury can be significant and debilitating, the language regarding the ‘rare’ risk of peripheral neuropathy was buried at the bottom of a long list of adverse reactions that were included on the Levaquin label; the language was in no way highlighted for the benefit of prescribing physicians and patients.”

Donna claims that she would not have agreed to taking the Levaquin prescription if she or her doctor had been warned that the drug could cause irreversible nerve damage.

She is seeking compensation for counts of strict liability, product liability (failure to warn), negligence, and other alleged violations, saying: “Defendants so negligently and recklessly labeled, distributed, and promoted the aforesaid product that it was dangerous and unsafe for the use and purpose for which it was intended.”

The Levaquin Peripheral Neuropathy Lawsuit is Donna P. v. Johnson & Johnson, Case No. 3:14-cv-05593-EDL, in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, San Francisco Division.

What is Peripheral Neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when these nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to the rest of the body become damaged or destroyed. This can impair muscle movement, prevent normal sensation in the arms and legs, and cause pain.

Peripheral neuropathy can be minor to major nerve damage that can cause a variety of complications for patients. Due to signal interference, symptoms often associated with this condition include numbness, tingling, burning, or shooting pain.

A growing number of peripheral neuropathy lawsuits are accusing the manufacturers of antibiotics such as levofloxacin (Levaquin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), moxifloxacin (Avelox), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ofloxacin (Floxin), and gemifloxacin (Factive) of failing to warn users about this risk.

Other antibiotic side effects cited in lawsuits include eye injuries such as uveitis (inflammation of the inner eye) and pigment dispersion syndrome. Uveitis is the third leading cause of blindness.

— Additional reporting by Amanda Antell