Levaquin Tendon lawsuit, also known as FDA Tendon Therapy case, is a legal lawsuit filed against GlaxoSmithKline, the company responsible for introducing the botulinum toxin Levaquin to the public. Levaquin is an expensive drug that was developed to treat patients who have an acute onset of tendonitis (an inflammation in the tendons). The company developed this drug despite knowledge of the negative consequences of its long-term use. Furthermore, it was never meant to treat acute tendonitis but rather to be used in conjunction with other treatments.
Levaquin Tendon Lawsuit
Due to the adverse side effects of the drug, several health problems have arisen such as Levaquin tendon rupture, Levaquin syndrome, and Levaquin-induced kidney failures. In addition, numerous adverse events were reported during clinical trials conducted for other approved medicines. Consequently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered GlaxoSmithKline to pay more than $1 billion in financial penalties to resolve the issues surrounding levaquin tendon damage and other related health problems.
As part of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline admitted that it was unreasonable for it to market its drug with the harmful effects it had described.
Furthermore, the company admitted that it was liable for introducing levaquin in the market with these harmful and potentially lethal side effects. This settlement marks the first time that a major cosmetics manufacturer has admitted liability for the health harms caused by its products.
However, the company has yet to admit liability for the deaths and other adverse reactions caused by its antibiotics levaquin antibiotics. These settlements, if successful, will greatly reduce the risks posed by pharmaceutical drugs in general.
It is important to remember that although the FDA has enacted laws requiring manufacturers of pharmaceuticals to warn of the possible risks posed by their products, the agency has no jurisdiction over medical advice or advertising.
The FDA’s role is limited to regulating the sales of pharmaceuticals to consumers and cannot regulate the claims a manufacturer makes about its product.
The manufacturer of levaquin, for example, has made statements in the past claiming that the drug is effective in the treatment of acute pain and that the only known side effect is liver damage. In these statements, the manufacturer has not admitted liability for the adverse consequences resulting from taking levaquin.
In addition, in some cases, the courts have imposed sanctions on companies for introducing products with severe and unsubstantiated medical claims that they assert are intended to treat serious medical conditions. For these reasons, it is advisable to seek professional legal assistance from an attorney who has expertise in health care law, including the FDA, before taking any medications.
To date, there have been no published studies linking the use of levaquin with any serious or debilitating side effects, but there is one potential problem.
Levofloxacin and doxycycline are an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic. Doxycycline is known to cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, while doxycycline interaction can result in the redness and swelling of the eyes and nose.
If either agent is taken at the recommended dosage, there is a possibility that a patient may experience a moderate to severe rash, eye irritation, and mild to moderate pain. However, as of yet, there have been no published case reports describing any such complications.
While levaquin can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including arthritis, angina pectoris, and acute inflammation, it is better reserved for use in combination with another medication.
The standard of care for such combination treatments is to use one of the available agents for the condition the patient is seeking relief from, and the other to treat the conditions caused by the primary agent. This dual therapy approach has demonstrated successful results in many cases. While it is not clear whether the combination therapies are more effective than levaquin alone, patients who use levaquin in combination with another form of treatment, such as azathioprine, have experienced greater success in overcoming bacterial infections.
