Madison, IllThree lawsuits were filed this week against Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-McNeil, Pharmaceutical, Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development and Walgreens, by 15 people who allege they suffered severe tendon problems as a result of using the antibiotic Levaquin.
Levaquin is a member of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotic. Johnson and Johnson and its subsidiary, Ortho-McNeil, are named as defendants because they test and manufacture Levaquin. According to the suit, Walgreens sold the plaintiffs the drug, and therefore may be culpable.
All fluoroquinolones are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry warnings about tendon adverse effects on their labels. However, the plaintiffs' attorneys claim that these warnings are buried in a long list of side effects. Further, there is no information about the tripling of risk for these types of injuries in people older than 60 and those who are also using corticosteroid therapy.
All 15 plaintiffs allege they were not aware when they were taking levaquin, that they were at risk for adverse health effects, and they all suffered severe and permanent tendon injuries while on the medication.
The plaintiffs' lawyers allege that the defendants in the lawsuits deliberately marketed the fluoroquinolone to the elderly, particularly those with upper respiratory infections who were likely to be chronic corticosteroid users.