Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences is facing a new Viread lawsuit, alleging their HIV medication caused the claimant to develop kidney disease and other chronic health problems.

The Viread lawsuit was filed soon after the man discovered there is an active investigation against Gilead for allegedly failing to warn patients that their HIV drug could cause bone problems and kidney disease.

Plaintiff Eric S. filed this Viread lawsuit after he developed serious health problems, and he alleges that Gilead either knew or should have known about these potential complications.

According to the Viread lawsuit, Eric was prescribed Truvada that contains the same core ingredient as Viread, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and works by preventing HIV virus cells from reproducing.

By preventing the HIV cells from reproducing, TDF prevents the virus from being transmitted and helps the body’s immune system better adapt to the disease. In addition, this medication also helps prevent the disease from developing in HIV negative patients and lowers the overall transmission rate.

Overview of Viread Lawsuit

The Viread lawsuit stated that Eric had been prescribed the HIV drug in 2016 and was part of a pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment program (PrEP) to help lower his chances of developing HIV.

During his prescription period, Eric says there was no mention of potentially fatal drug side effects like kidney disease. Further, the Viread lawsuit alleges that the medication warnings did not indicate that the drug presented any serious risks to his health. Eric says he used his HIV drug  until 2018, but then developed bone problems from the treatment regimen.

According to his Viread lawsuit, Eric alleges he had ingested high doses and had low bioavailability as part of the prescription instructions. Eric says he did not deviate from his doctor’s instructions. Low bioavailability means that Eric’s body was forced to process large doses of the medication before metabolizing the TDF ingredient.

While this prevented Eric from developing HIV, he says his body was exposed to large amounts of TDF and could not keep up. According to the Viread lawsuit, the TDF toxicity eventually caused Eric to lose bone mineral density and made his bone structure very weak.

Eventually, this loss caused Eric’s bones to fracture and break. Eric alleges that he previously had no issues with bone density. According to the Viread lawsuit, Eric’s bones were so frail that he shattered his right arm and in other places. The bone damage was so bad that they pierced through his skin, and required surgical treatment for his arm.

According to the Viread lawsuit, multiple metal plates and screws were inserted into Eric’s right forearm and he has experienced great pain even after the surgery. Eric reportedly had to take time off from work and school, and will most likely continue to be at risk for bone damage.

Eric alleges that Gilead had known about the risks TDF presented to patients, with preclinical toxicity studies showing bones and kidneys to be at the highest risk for damage. Even though bone loss and kidney disease are serious complications, Gilead allegedly failed to warn Eric and other patients against these possibilities.

According to the drug’s warning label, alleged the lawsuit, it was recommended that physicians do not prescribe the medication to patients with a history of bone density problems. Eric says he did not suffer from any such conditions but still developed bone density issues and is now at an increased risk of kidney disease.

This Viread Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-01906, in the United States District Court of the District of Columbia.