FDA Adds Stevens Johnson Syndrome Warning to Incivek (Telaprevir)

Telaprevir, marketed as Incivek, is used as an adjunct treatment along with several other medications to treat hepatitis C, which attacks the liver. Unfortunately for some patients looking to avoid liver damage or scarring, preventing further problems with Stevens Johnson Syndrome requires stopping the use of all of these drugs. The link between Telaprevir and Stevens Johnson Syndrome may be one of the fastest announcements of potential side effects, as the drug was only approved in 2011.

Still some scientists argue that Stevens Johnson Syndrome side effects should have been on the label even then, after deaths continued to mount throughout 2011 and 2012. Recently, hematologists have warned that most instances of Stevens Johnson Syndrome will appear within the first few days of taking a medication, or at the most a week. The stippling or skin rash is easy to spot, but patients and doctors must act fast. The disorder can spread rapidly and quickly turn into toxic epidermal necrolysis, a more serious form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome that causes swaths of skin to fall off.

As long as new drugs are added to the market, the risks for Stevens Johnson Syndrome side effects will grow. Researchers do not understand the mechanism that causes the disorder, just that there are few links between drugs that cause it. Unfortunately, in the case of hepatitis C patients, they are already weakened because of liver damage. However, a number of important medications can lead to the disorder in weakened patients like the antibiotic Zithromax. It is why increased awareness by doctors is so important in these cases to prevent the risk of further damage and even longer rehabilitation times.

In many cases, however, that does not happen and patients risk SJS side effects. For them, a legal remedy may be the only way to pay for mounting medical bills and other needs. Finding out whether or not one is eligible to make a claim is a click away at the Stevens Johnson (SJS) & Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. People who have been injured may be able to obtain a jury award or settlement with the drug manufacturer and starting sooner rather than later could mean financial help when it’s most needed.