The arthritis medication Actemra has been linked with a number of serious side effects and has been reportedly linked to Actemra deaths.

Basics of Actemra

The drug Actemra (also known by its generic name, tocilzumab) is manufactured by Roche, and is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Actemra was approved for this use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just in 2010, and can be used either via injection or infusion.

Actemra was initially marketed as lacking the dangerous side effects of other drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. These other drugs had been linked to heart attacks, heart failure, and lung problems. Unfortunately, Actemra has been linked something even more severe: Actemra deaths.

The Risk of Actemra Deaths

The FDA has reportedly received over 1,100 individual reports of patients who died after using the rheumatoid arthritis drug, according to a recent STAT report. One of these FDA reports was filed two days after a man died from a brain bleed after Actemra treatment. According to a doctor, the only possible cause of this man’s death was Actemra, the report claimed.

The link between Actemra and Actemra deaths has not only been noted in FDA reports but in studies as well. A study from the American College of Rheumatology published in 2016 compared the side effects of Actemra with those of a similar rheumatoid arthritis drug, Enbrel. The study found that patients who took Actemra faced a risk of heart attack 1.5 times greater than those who took Enbrel. And while Enbrel’s label warns patients about the risk of heart disease, Actemra’s label carries no such warnings of heart attack of Actemra deaths.

Rheumatoid arthritis is extremely common in the U.S.: around one percent of the population has been diagnosed with this condition. Actemra is a popular treatment, having been prescribed to over 760,000 patients already for arthritis. Doctors will often prescribe Actemra “off-label” for a number of other conditions. Altogether, this means that a great many patients may be facing side effects of Actemra or even Actemra deaths.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Actemra Deaths and Side Effects

Even before Actemra was released in the U.S., reports of Actemra deaths were well-documented. In 2009, Actemra deaths had already been reported in 15 people in Japan in 2009. This information originated from a study of 5,000 patients who took Actemra, to which a spokesperson for Chugai Pharmaceutical noted that, because of the study, the company could not deny a possible “causal relationship” between Actemra deaths and the drug itself.

If you have suffered from heart problems, stroke, pancreatitis, lung disease, or other side effects after taking Actemra, you may have a legal claim. If someone you love has died after using Actemra, you may be able to file a lawsuit against Roche over Actemra deaths. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Actemra side effects or Actemra deaths, it may be able to help alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

In general, Actemra lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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