The anti-inflammatory Flector Patch, which can be applied directly on the skin to provide pain relief, may be linked to developing the life-threatening condition known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

The Flector Patch was designed and marketed to be an easy way to treat minor strains, bruises and sprains. The medicated NSAID patch is intended to relieve inflammation and pain and is applied directly on the skin.

Consumers are now reporting that the skin patch is also causing the allergic drug reaction SJS, which is fatal in 15 percent of cases.   

The Flector Patch was FDA approved in 2007 and was clinically proven to be an effective method of pain treatment for minor injuries. The drug manufacturer markets the product as a non-messy, non-narcotic pain relief option that can be applied “right where it hurts the most” every 12 hours.

What is Flector Patch SJS?

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an allergic drug reaction that develops in the form of a skin rash. More than 300 new cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome are reported in the United States each year and the rare dermatological condition almost always requires hospitalization for treatment. 

SJS symptoms begin to surface as flu-like conditions, with victims developing a fever, sore throat and/or cough. Although it can easily be mistaken for the flu, the secondary symptoms then begin to surface as a red or purple rash quickly spreading across the skin and mucous membranes.

The SJS rash will then develop into skin blisters, eventually causing the top layer of skin to die and shed away. Flector Patch SJS is an allergic medical condition that covers up to 30 percent of the body. Physicians treating SJS have to focus their efforts on finding which medication is causing the severe allergic dermatological condition in order to control the SJS symptoms.

When the SJS rash covers more than 30 percent of the body it is then referred to as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), which is a progressive version of SJS with even more serious risks. While SJS has a 15 percent mortality rate, TEN carries a 40 percent chance of fatality.

Flector Patch SJS victims must be hospitalized as the severe medical condition is quite literally burning the patient’s skin from the inside out.

Other SJS symptoms include:

• Tongue swelling
• Skin pain
• Facial swelling
• Skin sloughing
• Blisters on skin and mucous membranes (in mouth, nose and eyes)

SJS or TEN patients can take months to fully recover. If a Flector Patch is discovered to be the cause of the serious allergic reaction, physicians will urge patients to permanently avoid using the patch again.

SJS Lawsuits

In many cases, SJS sufferers decide to file lawsuits against drug manufacturers for failing to adequately warn of the life-threatening risks associated with using the medication. As with nearly all SJS diagnoses, patients must be hospitalized and incur high medical expenses because of it.

SJS attorneys attempt to recover financial compensation for their clients so they are not left with medical bills after suffering from such a devastating medical condition.

If you used a Flector Patch and developed SJS, you may have legal claim.