The anti-inflammatory drug Arthrotec is a combination of two Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), diclofenac and misoprostol. This combination is designed to provide relief for pain and inflammation caused by arthritis, while also negating the risk of stomach ulcers associated with NSAIDs. Like other NSAIDS, the drug could be linked to an increased risk of autoimmune reactions, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

NSAIDs are a broad class of drugs, providing relief from pain and inflammation. Other drugs for this purpose, including steroids and narcotics, have a host of potential side effects, including addiction, constipation, and the suppression of the immune system. NSAIDs can have side effects of their own, including the risk of autoimmune reactions.

In autoimmune reactions, the immune system attacks the body, mistaking it for an invader like bacteria or viruses. Different autoimmune diseases have different causes, and attack different tissues. In both SJS and TEN, the body goes after the skin.

SJS Symptoms

SJS starts out with flu-like symptoms, including chills, fever and body aches. In fact, physicians sometimes mistake the earliest stages of SJS for the flu. However, the patients soon develop a painful skin rash, followed by sores, than ulcers. In some cases, the damage may spread to the eyes and internal organs. The damage to the skin leaves patients vulnerable to secondary infection— and in great pain. The condition can be lethal. And even survivors can face permanent complications, like disfiguring and disabling scarring. Even blindness and impaired organ function can stem from SJS— and it is a milder reaction than TEN.

The worst cases of SJS progress to TEN. In TEN, the immune system’s assault on the skin escalates, and large patches of skin die and slough off. This leaves wounds almost identical to thermal burns. In fact, patients with TEN often receive care in the burn unit of ICUs, since they face the same risks seen in burn patients. With large patches of missing skin, patients with TEN face dehydration, secondary infection, and hypothermia. The mortality rate from TEN jumps as high as 40%, higher than some forms of the Ebola virus.

SJS Lawsuits

Lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of drugs like Arthrotec. Such lawsuits have alleged that manufacturers were aware—or reasonably should have been aware—of the risk of serious complications associated with these drugs. These SJS lawsuits further allege that not only were manufacturers aware of these risk, but that they actively concealed them, preventing patients and health care professions from having all of the information they needed to make informed medical decision.