The manufacturer of Plavix continues to be named in lawsuits alleging the blood thinner caused some patients to suffer from serious bleeding side effects. Most recently, the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP filed nine Plavix bleeding lawsuits in state court in New York. According to a press release issued by Parker Waichman LLP, […]
The manufacturer of Plavix continues to be named in lawsuits alleging the blood thinner caused some patients to suffer from serious bleeding side effects. Most recently, the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP filed nine Plavix bleeding lawsuits in state court in New York.
According to a press release issued by Parker Waichman LLP, three Plavix lawsuits filed on May 3 allege the blood thinner caused users to suffer severe gastrointenstinal bleeding. An additional six lawsuits filed on April 30 claim that plaintiffs suffered from a number of Plavix side effects, including gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage and a blood condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).
Plavix has been one of the top-selling prescription drugs in the U.S. since it first hit the market in 1997 and has generated billions of dollars in revenue for its makers. As we’ve reported in the past, the makers of Plavix claim it is more effective than regular aspirin in the prevention of heart attack and stroke caused by blood clots. It is often prescribed with a low dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of these complications.
However, Plavix has also been linked to serious side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding, cerebral hemorrhaging, heart attacks, strokes and death at an increasingly alarming rate. Another complications reported among people taking Plavix include TTP a condition which is marked by small clots through the entire circulatory system. In April 2005, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) updated the Plavix label to warn that rare reports of TTP had been associated with its use, sometimes after only a short exposure (less than two weeks).
The Plavix lawsuits filed by Parker Waichman LLP alleges users of the drug are at a greatly increased risk of serious, dangerous, and potentially fatal bleeding side effects. The complaints further allege that use of the Plavix caused severe personal injuries which are permanent and lasting in nature, physical pain and mental anguish, including diminished enjoyment of life, as well as the need for lifelong medical treatment, monitoring and/or medications, and fear of developing other health consequences.
Among other things, the complaints allege that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis, the makers of Plavix, negligently and/or fraudulently represented that Plavix had been tested and was found to be safe and/or effective for its indicated use. The lawsuits further charge that the Defendants concealed their knowledge of Plavix defects from the Plaintiffs, the FDA, and the public in general and/or the medical community specifically.
