An Avelox lawsuit was filed by an Illinois resident who experienced the alleged Avelox side effect peripheral neuropathy.

The quinolone antibiotic lawsuit named Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Merck & Co. Inc. as defendants. Avelox is one of many quinolone antibiotics that is under investigation for causing peripheral neuropathy.

The plaintiff, Jeanne B., began using Avelox in January 2013. She was prescribed a 10-day treatment plan. She claimed she used the drug as directed. She then developed peripheral neuropathy. Because of this Avelox side effect, she “suffered significant pain and suffering, and her quality of life has been severely diminished,” the Avelox lawsuit says.

Avelox Quinolone Antibiotic

Avelox (moxifloxacin) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. It is a quinolone antibiotic used to treat certain kinds of bacterial infections.

While quinolone antibiotics have been long known to have serious side effects, Bayer allegedly failed to warn against Avelox peripheral neuropathy. According to the Avelox lawsuit, Bayer indicated that Avelox is “safe and effective” and “has a well-characterized safetly profile” that has been greatly studied.

From 2004 to 2013, the warning label said that Avelox peripheral neuropathy was rare and did not mention that it could “result in irreversible nerve damage,” according to the Avelox lawsuit.

The label read, “rare cases of [peripheral neuropathy] have been reported in patients receiving quinolones.” As the Avelox lawsuit observed, the label was misleading because Avelox peripheral neuropathy was not as rare as suggested and the damage could be permanent.

When Bayer later changed the label in mid-2013, it allegedly failed to properly inform doctors about Avelox side effects.

Several studies have suggested that Avelox side effects could include peripheral neuropathy long before Bayer changed the warning label. Had they changed the warning label sooner, Jeanne and others may have avoided serious peripheral nerve pain.

Avelox is one of several quinolone antibiotics that is under investigation for quinolone peripheral neuropathy. Drugs such as Levaquin and Cipro have been listed as peripheral neuropathy causes and have been named in quinolone lawsuits.

Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that affects the peripheral nervous system, which is responsible for carrying messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include tingling in the hands or feet, sharp and burning pain, lack of coordination, muscle weakness, and paralysis. Other symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include sensitivity to touch, heat intolerance, bowel or other digestive problems, and dizziness.

Peripheral neuropathy side effects may last for several months after drug use has stopped.

The Avelox Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-00038, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.