Recent lawsuits have focused on the connection between the anti-seizure medication Dilantin and Stevens Johnson Syndrome, resulting in millions of dollars in compensation for some plaintiffs.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, is a painful and debilitating skin condition. Its symptoms resemble the results of severe burns.

Typically, SJS first manifests with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, or cough. Within a few days, the skin develops areas of rash that progress to form blisters. These blisters can also form on the mucous membranes that cover the mouth, throat, eyes, genitals, or anus.

Hair and nails can also fall out. SJS also typically results in conjunctivitis, which can be so severe that the pus seals the eyes closed. These eye symptoms can lead to corneal damage and sometimes blindness.

In more advanced cases of SJS, the blisters coalesce to form large areas of skin that peel away easily. SJS that has advanced to that point is generally referred to as toxic epidermal necrolysis, or TEN. At that point, the condition can be life-threatening. Loss of large portions of skin increases the risk of infection and the loss of body fluids.

Treatment of SJS and TEN requires hospitalization. Due to the similarities of SJS symptoms with those of major burns, patients are often treated in a hospital’s burn unit. In some cases, physicians will administer corticosteroids or human immunoglobulin.

But typically there is no particular treatment administered other than monitoring the patient in a controlled environment while the body slowly heals itself.

Dilantin SJS Lawsuits

While SJS is rare, it is more often than not caused by medication. Drugs most likely to cause SJS are sulfa drugs, antibiotics such as aminopenicillins and fluoroquinolones, and antiepileptics like Dilantin.

Dilantin, also known under its generic name phenytoin, is a product of the Parke-Davis division of Pfizer Inc. Dilantin was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1953 as a treatment for epilepsy.

Currently, it’s approved as a treatment for tonic-clonic and psychomotor seizures as well as seizures that occur during or following neurosurgery.

Persons with certain Asian ancestries are particularly susceptible to Dilantin SJS. In 2008 the FDA issued a warning about an increased risk of Dilantin SJS in Asian patients with the HLA-B*1502 allele. This allele can come from a wide range of Asian ancestry, including Han Chinese, Filipino, Malay, South Asian Indian, and Thai.

Over the past few years, dozens of plaintiffs have come forward with Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawsuits against Parke-Davis and its parent company Pfizer, the manufacturers of Dilantin. One SJS lawsuit reported the FDA has received over 1,000 adverse event reports of cases of SJS related to Dilantin treatment, including hundreds of cases that resulted in death.

These SJS lawsuits typically allege Pfizer failed to adequately warn patients and their physicians about the risk of SJS or TEN associated with taking Dilantin. Other typical claims include defective design, negligence, fraud, and breach of warranty.

Plaintiffs typically seek compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical expenses. Successful plaintiffs may also be entitled to payment of their court costs and attorney fees.

Pfizer has already agreed to settle some of these Dilantin lawsuits with payments worth millions of dollars.