A quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuit has been filed against pharmaceutical companies Bayer and Merck alleging their quinolone antibiotic drug Avelox caused a Tennessee woman  to develop irreparable nerve damage.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which a patient’s nerves become damaged, resulting in impairment of sensation and movement, as well as other health issues.

Plaintiff Sherri K. filed this Avelox peripheral neuropathy lawsuit in August alleging she developed permanent nerve damage after taking the prescription antibiotic.

According to the Avelox lawsuit, “The warning label for Avelox during the period from September 2004 through August 2013 misled Plaintiff and her treating physician by incorrectly advising patients and physicians that peripheral neuropathy associated with Avelox was ‘rare’ and failing to mention the possibility that it could result in irreversible nerve damage.”

Because of the high incidence rates of peripheral neuropathy when taking fluoroquinolone drugs like Avelox, in August 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required Bayer, Merck, and other pharmaceutical companies that produce quinolone drugs to include more serious warnings about the possibility of nerve damage when taking these types of antibiotics.

Since then, Avelox’s label has made the warning more prominent and stopped referring to the condition as rare. However, these actions by Bayer and Merck occurred after the plaintiff had taken the quinolone drug.

Sherri K. alleges that the warning of the “rare” peripheral neuropathy was buried underneath a long list of other Avelox side effects and did not impress upon consumers that peripheral neuropathy is serious, significant, and can be debilitating.

This Avelox peripheral neuropathy lawsuit brings several allegations against Bayer and Merck, including claims of strict liability, failure to warn, negligence, breach of warranty, fraud, negligent misrepresentation and fraudulent concealment. The plaintiff is seeking relief from the drug manufacturers in the form of non-economic and economic damages, payment of medical expenses, refund of drug purchases, and compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages.

The Avelox Peripheral Neuropathy Lawsuit is Case No. 3:14-cv-03680, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Fluoroquinolone Drugs

New research and FDA adverse event drug reports suggest that patients taking quinolone antibiotic drugs, also known as fluoroquinolones, face an increased risk of developing peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) when compared to patients on other types of antibiotics.

Drugs included in the quinolone drug family known to allegedly cause the development of peripheral neuropathy include:

• levofloxacin (Levaquin)
• ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• norfloxacin (Noroxin)
• ofloxacin (Floxin)
• gemifloxacin (Factive)

Quinolone Peripheral Neuropathy

In general, quinolone peripheral neuropathy begins rapidly, and 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 light-headedness

Many individuals and families of individuals who have allegedly suffered from severe nerve damage after taking Avelox or another fluoroquinolone antibiotics have filed quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuits or joined quinolone peripheral neuropathy class action lawsuits.