Levaquin, a popular antibiotic that has been the subject of thousands of quinolone lawsuits, is now suspected of having a connection to Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Also known by the name of its active ingredient, levofloxacin, Levaquin is one of a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, or quinolones. Other such antibiotics include Cipro and Avelox.

Quinolones are some of the most widely prescribed antibiotics in the United States. Worldwide, Levaquin has been prescribed more than 430 million times since it was first granted a European patent in 1987.

In the United States, Levaquin is made by Johnson & Johnson through its subsidiary Ortho-McNeil. Levaquin has been a blockbuster product for Johnson & Johnson, with sales exceeding $1 billion in 2010.

It’s commonly used to treat bacterial infections of the skin, urinary tract, or respiratory tract. But despite its long history and widespread use, Levaquin has been associated with damaging side effects.

Levaquin has a tendency to increase the risk of tendon ruptures and peripheral neuropathy, which has already resulted in thousands of Levaquin lawsuits. Quinolones, as a class of drugs, have also been linked to liver toxicity and liver failure.

And, they have also been associated with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a rare but sometimes deadly skin disorder.

SJS as a Quinolone Side Effect

Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, is a rare condition that more often than not occurs as a side effect of medication. It is associated with quinolones as a class, not just Levaquin, as well as with many other types of medications.

SJS starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, body aches, headache, or cough. Later, blisters begin to appear on the skin. These blisters can coalesce into large areas of skin that can eventually slough off, causing significant pain and exposing the body to infection.

Similar effects can occur in tissue inside the lungs, potentially causing pneumonia, pulmonary edema, or other respiratory side effects. SJS often also causes genitourinary symptoms as well as keratoconjunctivitis or other eye conditions.

SJS that advances to cover a much greater area of the skin becomes known as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, or TEN. The most extreme cases of SJS can result in death.

Because SJS is frequently not diagnosed right away, it often has time to advance before treatment begins. Treatment for SJS usually requires weeks of hospitalization and monitoring, significantly increasing the patient’s medical expenses.

A recent study found that women over age 60 who took Levaquin had a higher risk of developing SJS. All cases of SJS in that study progressed into cases of TEN. Nearly 30,000 subjects in that study experienced negative Levaquin side effects of some kind.

Past and Potential Levaquin Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson has had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in Levaquin lawsuits related to other Levaquin side effects. A relationship between Levaquin and SJS or TEN could be a basis for even more lawsuits.

Typical claims in quinolone lawsuits of this kind include negligence, failure to warn, defective design or manufacture, misrepresentation, and breach of warranty. Spouses of patients who suffer Levaquin side effects may also have a claim.