Bayer Healthcare and Merck & Co.are facing an Avelox lawsuit by a North Carolina resident, who alleges she developed permanent peripheral neuropathy (or nerve damage) after taking the pharmaceutical companies’ commonly prescribed antibiotic.

Plaintiff Aimee K. filed her quinolone lawsuit on May 1 of this year, claiming that Bayer and Merck knew or should have reasonably known of the risk of Avelox peripheral neuropathy or of the risk of nerve damage associated with quinolone antibiotic drugs for over two decades. She further alleges the pharmaceutical companies failed to fully warn consumers like Aimee and the medical community about Avelox peripheral neuropathy side effects.

According to the Avelox lawsuit, all drugs of the quinolone pharmaceutical class contain a nerve damage warning. However, Aimee claims that the Avelox peripheral neuropathy warning misleads consumers into thinking the nerve damage problems were rare and, furthermore, failed to inform patients that the Avelox peripheral neuropathy may be permanent in some cases.

This Avelox peripheral neuropathy lawsuit accuses Bayer and Merck of several allegations, including: negligence, breach of warranty, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and violating the North Carolina Product Liability Act. The plaintiff is seeking both punitive and compensatory damages.

Aimee’s Avelox peripheral neuropathy lawsuit is one of many Avelox lawsuits being filed by consumers. Other quinolone lawsuits filed include Cipro lawsuits and Levaquin lawsuits, alleging similar nerve damage injuries caused by quinolone antibiotics.

The Avelox Peripheral Neuropathy Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-00194, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Quinolone Peripheral Neuropathy

Quinolones (also known as fluoroquinolones) are a type of antibiotic prescribed to treat several types of infections such as bronchitis and urinary tract infections. Popular quinolone antibiotic drugs include Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro (generic, ciprofloxacin). While quinolones can be helpful in quickly and effectively treating bacterial infections, these antibiotics have been known to cause severe and even permanent peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that impairs sensation, movement, and other health functions. Quinolone peripheral neuropathy begins rapidly. Patients begin presenting symptoms just a few days after taking the quinolone antibiotic drug treatment.

Some signs of quinolone peripheral neuropathy side effects include:

• Tingling or numbness
• Burning pain
• Sharp, jabbing pain or electric-like pain
• Extreme touch sensitivity
• Skin, hair or nail changes
• Lack of coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Heat intolerance
• Bowel, bladder of digestive problems
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

Many individuals, like Aimee, who have allegedly suffered from severe nerve damage after taking Avelox have filed Avelox peripheral neuropathy lawsuits or joined a quinolone peripheral neuropathy class action lawsuits against the manufacturers of these drugs.