Patients report suffering severe Viread side effects that include bone density and kidney issues that arise after taking the HIV medication.

Viread is one of several HIV drugs made by drug manufacturer Gilead Sciences, which is now facing lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn of Viread side effects and that of other medications containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). The other HIV drugs with this same active ingredient are Complera, Atripla, Stribild, and Truvada.

TDF is the active ingredient in these antiretroviral drugs that belong to the drug class known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). The medicines work by stopping the HIV virus from replicating, which helps stop the transmission of the virus and improves the patient’s own immune system.

Viread Side Effects Allegedly Hidden

Gilead is facing lawsuits alleging the company knew TDF-based drugs could cause harm to bone density and kidney function, but failed to adequately warn patients of the dangers of Viread side effects.

Two men have filed one lawsuit that is funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which issued a press release regarding the lawsuit.

“A class action lawsuit against Gilead by two other Californians living with HIV who suffered bone and kidney damage from taking TDF was filed on behalf of all persons located within California who were prescribed and ingested Viread, Truvada or Atripla from Oct. 26, 2011 through the present, who were personally or whose physician was exposed to Gilead’s misrepresentations,” according to the press release.

The Viread side effects lawsuit alleges Gilead downplayed the severity of the potential side effects by making the suggestion that “doctors ‘consider monitoring’ bone mineral density ‘in patients with a history of pathologic fracture or who are at risk for osteopenia.’”

One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit says he did not have a history of bone fractures or of any bone density problems, but he claims the TDF-based HIV medications deteriorated his bone density.

The other named plaintiff alleges he developed Fanconi syndrome, a rare kidney disorder that causes excessive amounts of glucose, uric acid, salts, potassium, and some amino acids to be excreted through the urine. He says he also now suffers from osteopenia and osteoporosis. (Osteopenia means the bones are weakened, but not as porous and fragile as seen in osteoporosis.)

According to the Viread side effects lawsuit, Gilead allegedly began research on a different version of tenofovir back in 2001, the year that TDF was approved. The improved tenofovir is called tenofovir alafemanide fumarate (TAF), and Gilead is accused of withholding encouraging research about TAF and delaying its release in order to milk more money out of its TDF drugs.

The TAF medication, known as Genvoya, was FDA approved in 2015. The Viread side effects lawsuit alleges Gilead withheld Genvoya’s release until its patent on the TDF medications expired.

If you have suffered from serious Viread side effects, including bone density loss, bone fractures, osteopenia, osteoporosis, kidney failure or kidney disease, you could be eligible to participate in this HIV medication lawsuit investigation.