Avelox Liver Injury Lawyers

Have you suffered a liver injury after using the antibiotic Avelox?  Bayer Healthcare, the maker of Avelox (moxifloxacin), has strengthened liver injury warnings for this drug in both Europe and Canada, but as of March 2010 it had not taken similar action in the U.S.  If you suffered liver problems while taking this drug, our Avelox liver injury lawyers want to hear from you today.

Symptoms of Avelox liver problems include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and eyes, severe itching, dark urine, and pale-colored stools. If you have experienced any of these symptoms while taking Avelox, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Our Avelox liver injury lawyers are investigating the serious side effects of this antibiotic.  We believe Bayer has acted negligently in failing to adequately warn doctors and patients in the U.S. about its potential for serious liver damage. We are currently offering free case evaluations to victims of Avelox liver injuries.  Please call us today to protect your legal rights.

Avelox

Avelox is an antibiotic used to treat infections caused by certain bacteria. It is considered a broad-spectrum antibiotic that can be effective against many different types of infections. Avelox is available in tablet form or through injections. Some of the more commonly used treatments include pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, abdominal infections, and skin infections.

Avelox belongs to a class of drugs called fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquinolones were first introduced in 1986, but they are really modified quinolones, a class of antibiotics discovered in the early 1960s.  Critics of these drugs allege that fluoroquinolone antibiotics were developed and put on the fast track for Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval without the benefit of adequate premarket testing to accurately determine the probability of certain side effects within the general population. After gaining FDA approval, the new fluoroquinolone antibiotics were aggressively marketed by the manufacturers.

Avelox Liver Injury Warnings

In recent years, Bayer has strengthened warnings about Avelox and liver damage in Europe and Canada.  Unfortunately, U.S. patients and doctors have not been privy to this important safety information.

In February 2008, Bayer issued a "Dear Healthcare Provider" letter to doctors in Europe warning that Avelox had caused incidents of severe liver and skin side effects in patients.  The letter was meant to emphasize additional warnings Bayer had included the previous autumn in the packaging of Avelox products. A similar letter was never issued in the U.S.

The following July, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) announced it had completed a review of new data on the safety of oral formulations of Avelox and other moxifloxacin-containing medicines. The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that the benefits of these medicines for the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia continue to outweigh their risks.

However, due to safety concerns, mainly related to an increased risk of adverse liver reactions, CHMP recommended restricting their use to the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia when other antibiotics cannot be used or have failed. CHMP also recommended that the warnings of oral moxifloxacin-containing medicines be strengthened concerning the risk of diarrhea, heart failure in women and older patients, severe skin reactions and fatal liver injury.

In March 2010, Health Canada announced that Bayer had updated the Avelox monograph to include important safety information related to the rare risk of severe liver injury.  Health Canada said at the time that it had conducted a safety review and concluded that Avelox may be associated with the rare but potentially life threatening risk of liver injury, including liver failure.

Help for Victims of Avelox Liver Injuries

As of the date of the Health Canada alert, Bayer had not made similar changes to the Avelox label in the U.S.   Our Avelox liver injury lawyers are aggressively investigating this medication.  We would like to hear from anyone who has experienced liver problems following treatment with Avelox.

Our Avelox liver injury lawyers are offering free case evaluations to victims of this dangerous side effect.  If you or someone you love suffered a liver injury while taking Avelox, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible.  Simply fill out our online form, or call 1-800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) to discuss your case with one of our Avelox liver injury lawyers today.