Ashley Milano  |  August 31, 2016

Category: Legal News

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Peripheral-Neuropathy-SymptomsA South Carolina resident who suffered symptoms of peripheral neuropathy after taking the popular antibiotic Levaquin (levofloxacin) has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Levaquin was approved by the FDA in Dec. 1996 and is the brand name of antibiotic levofloxacin. It is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic used to treat lung, sinus, skin, and urinary tract infections caused by bacteria.

Plaintiff John M. alleges that as a direct result of being prescribed and ingesting Levaquin, he developed peripheral neuropathy and suffered greatly from the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

According to the complaint, scientific evidence has established a clear association between Levaquin and an increased risk of long term and sometimes irreversible peripheral neuropathy.

John states that J&J and Janssen should have known that the use of Levaquin could lead to to symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and taken appropriate action to warn patients and the medical community of the dangerous risks associated with the use of Levaquin and the risk of peripheral neuropathy.

Instead, John alleges that the drug makers purposely misled patients and physicians by incorrectly advising that symptoms of peripheral neuropathy associated with Levaquin use was “rare” and could be avoided in any case by discontinuing the drug upon the onset of said “rare” symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

What are the Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy is a nerve disorder that can occur in both the arms and the legs. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:

  • Paralysis
  • Tingling
  • Numbness
  • Weakness
  • Loss of reflexes
  • Burning
  • Shooting pain
  • Change in the sense of body position
  • Change in sensation to touch, pain or temperature

Peripheral neuropathy may occur any time during or after treatment with quinolone antibiotics, such as Levaquin, and can last up to many months or years after the treatment has stopped.

It can also be permanent. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can develop rapidly, even within just a few days of starting Levaquin.

Peripheral neuropathy causes symptoms as it damages the nerves that send information between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body.

The damage interrupts this connection, and the varying symptoms of peripheral neuropathy depend on which nerves the damage affects.

Levaquin Peripheral Neuropathy Lawsuits

New FDA warnings remove prior claims that Levaquin peripheral neuropathy rarely occurs, and indicate that problems may affect users for years after they stop taking the drug.

In many cases the peripheral neuropathy causes permanent disability and limitations for the remainder of the user’s life.

Complaints allege that if the manufacturers had provided accurate and complete information earlier, many former users may have avoided permanent nerve damage following use of the antibiotics.

For Johnson & Johnson’s and Janssen Pharmaceutical’s alleged deception in marketing Levaquin as safe, John M. is seeking the full range of damages including general, economic, compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages, along with medical expenses related to treat his symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, along with legal costs. He has demanded a jury trial.

The Levaquin Peripheral Neuropathy Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-05122 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

In general, antibiotic side effects lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

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