On March 23, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Merck & Co. Inc. were hit in a quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuit filed by a South Carolina woman, who alleges she suffered nerve damage after using their prescription fluoroquinolone antibiotic Avelox.

Plaintiff Christina M. filed this Avelox lawsuit, claiming she was prescribed the quinolone antibiotic drug in August 2013 for a seven-day treatment. During this time, Christina alleges she developed quinolone side effects, most notably quinolone peripheral neuropathy. Additionally, she claims that even now, after discontinuing her Avelox prescription, she continues to suffer from peripheral nerve damage symptoms.

According to the quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuit, “this is an action for damages suffered by Plaintiff as a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ negligent and wrongful conduct in connection with the design, development, manufacture, testing, packaging, promoting, marketing, advertising, distribution, labeling, and/or sale of the pharmaceutical drug Avelox®, also known as moxifloxacin.

“Plaintiff maintains that Avelox is defective, dangerous to human health, unfit and unsuitable to be marketed and sold in commerce, and lacked proper warnings and directions as to the dangers associated with its use,” the Avelox lawsuit continues.

Christina brings several allegations against Bayer and Merck with claims of strict liability, failure to warn, negligence, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and misrepresentation, constructive fraud, negligent infliction of emotional distress, unjust enrichment, and punitive damages.

This Avelox peripheral neuropathy lawsuit is seeking general and special damages, medical and hospital expenses, full refund of Avelox purchase cost, compensatory damages, consequential damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and any other forms of relief deemed fit by the court.

This Quinolone Peripheral Neuropathy Lawsuit is Case No. 4:15-cv-01322-RBH, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Quinolone Peripheral Neuropathy

Quinolones (also known as fluoroquinolones) are a type of antibiotic that are widely prescribed to treat several types of infections, including bronchitis and urinary tract infections.

The quinolone drug group includes popular antibiotics like Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro (also known as Ciprofloxin). While quinolones can be helpful in quickly treating bacterial infections, these drugs have been known to cause severe and even permanent peripheral neuropathy.

Quinolone peripheral neuropathy begins rapidly. Patients begin presenting symptoms just a few days after taking the quinolone drug. Some signs of quinolone peripheral neuropathy side effects include:

• Tingling or numbness in the extremities starting in the hands and feet and spreading to the arms and legs
• Burning pain
• Sharp, jabbing pain or electric-like pain
• Extreme touch sensitivity
• Skin, hair or nail changes
• Lack of coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Heat intolerance
• Bowel, bladder of digestive problems
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

Many individuals who have allegedly suffered from severe nerve damage after taking Avelox have filed Avelox quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuits against the manufacturers of these drugs.