Dilantin Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed against Pfizer
By Andrea Gressman
Many people went unaware that Pfizer made a change in how they manufactured Dilantin in 2007. Dilantin has always been used to treat those who experience seizures due to conditions like epilepsy. However, they opted to stop selling Dilantin Kapseals and instead went to a new form of Dilantin capsules. The explanation that Pfizer provided was that they needed to upgrade their manufacturing. This change did not go over so well with some Dilantin users and they started to report having seizures, which they allege is due to the switch in the medication. Evidently, the change in the way Pfizer manufactured the seizure medication led to issues with regards to how Dilantin is absorbed in the user’s body. Evidently, even the slightest change can have a significant effect on the users.
This is reportedly common knowledge when it comes to medications. However, it mostly has to do with generic forms of medications. Although the new form of Dilantin was not a generic form, some of the changes made caused some of the similar issues that frequently occur when a generic version is created. This is called bioequivalency and directly refers to how the medication is absorbed into the body. Although this is a common occurrence when a generic form is created, Pfizer conducted studies on the new form of Dilantin but did not adhere to the normal criteria that the testing agency uses. This made it impossible to review the protocol of the study prior to Pfizer proceeding.
Despite the multiple reports of negative side effects associated with the new form of Dilantin, Pfizer still claims that there is no difference between the two versions of Dilantin and therefore the issue of Pfizer changing the manufacturing has been put on the backburner until recently. A new Dilantin lawsuit has been filed by a couple residing in Maryland. They filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dilantin’s drug manufacturer, Pfizer, because they switched their products, which they claim killed Jeremy Jackson, their 32-year-old son.
The Dilantin lawsuit claims that Mr. Jackson began taking the newer version of Dilantin in October of 2007. He had been on the previous version of Dilantin for 3 years prior to that. However, within one month Mr. Jackson sadly passed away in his sleep after experiencing a grand mal seizure.
The article was filed in 2009 in the Arizona state court because that is where the Jackson’s lived at the time of filing the Dilantin lawsuit. They charge Pfizer with knowing that altering the medication could adversely affect the patient. However, they did not properly warn the medical community or the patients of such issues.
The Jackson family attorney made the following comments on the Dilantin lawsuits, “The prior published studies on Dilantin’s active ingredient, phenytoin, collectively state that any change to the dissolution characteristics of a drug with a narrow therapeutic index or high biokinetic volatility like phenytoin will present serious problems to a sizable percentage of consumers, such as suffering unexpected seizures.” He went on to state, “That is exactly what happened in our case, where Jeremy, a young man in otherwise perfect health with normal levels of phenytoin in his system, was unable to absorb phenytoin from the new Dilantin.”
The Dilantin lawsuit attorney made additional comments on how the FDA provided the Dilantin attorney with more than 1,500 Dilantin side effect complaints that had been filed to the FDA’s Medwatch system from the time Pfizer made the change in 2007 until the end of 2008. The Dilantin lawsuit attorney also implied that he may for a class action Dilantin lawsuit with other Dilantin side effect victims.
The explanation of the changes in how Dilantin is being manufactured and sold to Dilantin users would explain the increase in Dilantin side effect lawsuits being filed in the past few years. However, there are still many Dilantin side effect victims out there that are not aware of the link between Dilantin and the side effects they are experiencing.
Dilantin’s side effects can be extreme as we have seen with Mr. Jackson whose side effects resulted in death. There are a number of other side effects as well including Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) that Dilantin has been linked to.
If you have experienced side effect as a result of taking Dilantin you are not alone. Visit the Dilantin Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page to find out how you can file your own Dilantin side effects lawsuit or Dilantin class action lawsuit.
Updated December 26th, 2012
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7 thoughts onDilantin Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed against Pfizer
My husband just lost a kidney this October to cancer, he was in perfect health before that.
I’ve been on Dilantin for forty five years. Within the last few years my Dilantin has never stayed within therapudic range. My primary doctor increased my dosage with devastating consequences. I recently was told to increas my dose again. No way.
Nancy was your dilantin level in your therapeutic range
I have had gran mal seizures after the new formulation of dilantin. I was fine for so many years. on he old formulation. until 2007 when I had an unexplained drop in my level. I changed lot numbers and the level was back to normal. Pziifer denied any problems. Now on the new formulation even at a blood level of 22 to 23 and a free dilantin of 2.2.( I need to stay in the high therapeutic range. ) I had a gran mal. I a, trying to find answers. Is anyone having problems in their therapeutic range?
I was on dilantin for 42 years for epilepsy, back in July 2011 I had burning feet burning hands metal taste in mouth balance off and no sensation from waste down I still have all of this happening Jan. 2013 I had all kinds of blood work and urine tests to find that I was poisoned by arsenic I had my dilantin checked from FDA lab and the results were low concentration levels of arsenic in them I almost died in July 2011 no answers then and still no help. there was ashortage of dilantin at time I got so sick but was never told. I need a lawyer to help me out, I have all medical records lab tests results dr. reports. Thank you!
my mother was on dilantin whena she was living for her grand mal seizures they changed her to the generic and they didnt workon her 1996. she went into renal failure and it wasnt nothing wrong with her kidneys never was told what all went on.
My husband was just hospitalized 2 times in the last 3 months. He has developed antiphospholipid antibody syndrome as well as thrombo cytopenia. The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome APS has been linked to long-term Dilantin use. He was on Dilantin for over 30 years. The last hospital stay as of 1 week ago was to the point of near-death. He has been suffering from gradual declined kidney failure and is now at 14%. This last visit as of a week ago his kidneys shut down, his lungs were affected where he couldn’t breathe, congestive heart failure, and a brain bleed. The doctors have attributed this event to APS which has been linked to the horrific drug Dilantin. This information can also be found on the Mayo Clinic website under causes for antiphospholipid lipid antibody syndrome. I have also researched Dilantin is a drug that the FDA would like to see it to be discontinued based on all the Terrible side effects.