As a Texas medical doctor and Dallas Product Liability attorney, I am providing this update for folks who have been injured by the use of Levaquin and have suffered from severe tendon injuries.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) recently settled personal injury and product liability claims with about 845 plaintiffs. The plaintiffs alleged in their lawsuits that the drug manufacturer did not adequately warn of the risks of tendon damage and tendon rupture side effects from its antibiotic Levaquin.
The settlements were revealed in an October 30 filing in federal court in Minneapolis. There are about 1,900 Levaquin lawsuits on file in the multidistrict litigation which has been consolidated in Minnesota. According to sources, the initial agreements will be completed in the next two weeks. There is no indication at this time how much Johnson & Johnson would pay.
According to the filing sources, Johnson & Johnson faces more than 3,400 state and federal lawsuits alleging tendon injuries from the drug, including about 1,500 cases in New Jersey state court.
Settlement discussions are under way with about 190 other plaintiffs. Terms of the agreements are confidential.
Levaquin Plaintiff Allegations
The plaintiffs allege that Johnson & Johnson and its Ortho- McNeil Pharmaceutical unit failed to warn that Levaquin was associated with an increased risk of tendon damage in elderly patients.
FDA Investigation
In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required all makers of antibiotics in Levaquin’s class, called fluoroquinolones, to increase warnings about tendon ruptures.
The federal lawsuits are combined in In re Levaquin Products Liability Litigation, 08-md-01943, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (Minneapolis).
Read more here and visit my website for further information.
