Pfizer settled a New York Dilantin lawsuit over the death of a child for nearly $4 million.

In this case, a young child was prescribed Dilantin and other drugs as she was undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor. Dilantin is an anticonvulsant, often used to treat epilepsy. However, Dilantin is also widely used as a precaution during brain surgery, since brain surgery can cause convulsions during surgery or recovery, as in this case.

The young girl developed Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis shortly after her surgery. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis is a severe form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, which itself is a major medical concern. In both SJS and TEN, the patient’s own immune system goes haywire and attacks its own skin.

In the case of SJS, this manifests with a painful skin rash with sores, blisters, and ulcers. SJS can cause permanent blindness, disabling scarring, and even death. And TEN is even more dangerous.

In TEN, patients’ skin dies and sloughs off in patches. This leaves wounds functionally identical to burns. In fact, emergency medical providers often treat TEN in their burn wards, since patients often face the risk of the same complications like dehydration, secondary infection, and hypothermia. Mortality rates for TEN vary, but most estimates are higher than some strains of the Ebola virus.

In this case, it was fatal, and after 21 days of suffering from TEN, the child died of organ failure.

Her family filed an SJS lawsuit against Pfizer alleging the drug company has not done enough to protect the public from Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Their SJS lawsuit holds that Pfizer was well aware of the risk of Dilantin SJS.

In fact, Pfizer’s labeling for Dilantin in other countries warns that patients of African descent face a higher risk of developing SJS and TEN from Dilantin. However, the medical information insert used in America makes no reference to this risk.

It is estimated that 20 percent of SJS and TEN cases seen in the United States are caused by Dilantin.