Patients who have experienced complications from the drug Actemra may be eligible to file an Actemra lawsuit against the product’s manufacturer in order to recover damages related to the use of the product.

What is Actemra?

Actemra, generically known as toclizumab, is a medication that is FDA-approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It is designed to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with the disease. Actemra works in the body by blocking an anti-inflammatory substance called interleukin-6. When the levels of interleukin-6 are reduced, inflammation and pain subside.

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, they receive Actemra injections weekly or every other week or they may receive an intravenous infusion of the drug on a monthly schedule as an alternative.

Actemra is also used by physicians in an off-label fashion in order to treat approximately 60 other conditions such as lupus, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Some patients who have prescribed Actemra have found relief from their pain and swelling that has not been available to them through other prescriptions and treatment modalities.

Actemra Complications

Although Actemra has been nothing short of a miracle drug for some patients, for others it has caused a number of conditions that in some cases are even worse than the original was designed to treat. Patients claim that these conditions have not appeared on the drug’s warning label, and they had no idea that serious complications they ended up developing or even a possibility.

Some of the most serious Actemra complications include gastrointestinal infection, gastrointestinal perforation, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, heart failure, lung disease, heart attack and stroke. Some of these conditions cause lasting effects and others can even be fatal.

In fact, an article that was recently published by STAT indicated that approximately 760,000 individuals are currently taking Actemra worldwide and that the FDA has received 1128 adverse event reports that indicated that an individual had died after taking Actemra. Some physicians are comparing this drug to Vioxx, a drug was taken off the market after numerous fatalities were reported, saying they hope the same type of situation does not occur with Actemra.

Another study, published in 2016 by the American College of Rheumatology, found that patients had a 1.5 times greater risk of suffering a heart attack compared to other patients taking a similar drug to treat their condition known as Enbrel. Enbrel does indicate on its label that there is an increased risk of heart disease associated with its use, and though Actemra’s risk appears to be increased, its label does not indicate this.

Filing an Actemra Lawsuit

Patients who go on to develop severe complications after taking Actemra may be eligible to file an Actemra lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer.

Patients suffering severe complications from medications may find that a product liability lawsuit can help them recover damages related to medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of spousal companionship, loss of earnings and earning capacity and more.

Product liability lawsuits are filed when a patient’s believes that a product, in this case the drug Actemra, was defectively designed, defectively manufactured or defectively marketed, as in the case where the manufacturer fails to warn of complications relating to the drug.

An Actemra lawsuit cannot only help compensate patients for damages they suffered, it can also serve as a catalyst to spark change by the drug manufacturer by holding the manufacturer accountable for the product it represents. Plaintiffs may also be able to seek punitive damages which comes in the form of monetary damages from the manufacturer an amount designed to punish the company for its alleged wrongdoing.

An attorney can provide you with a free case consultation to help you determine if pursuing an Actemra lawsuit is right for you.

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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