Uloric Lawsuit Claims and Process

May 20, 2019 | Pharmaceutical Litigation

We trust our doctors and trained medical professionals to take care of us and recommended medications that will keep us safe and healthy and that won’t end up causing more harm than good. Unfortunately, more and more often these days, medications are being shown to have known risks and dangers associated with them. Many of these dangers were not properly disclosed to patients by medical professionals, pharmaceutical companies, or manufacturers. The end results are increased illnesses and injuries and in extreme cases even death.  Lawsuits stemming from medication side effects are one of the most common personal injury and negligence cases brought to courts today. One that is gaining recent attention if the medication known as Uloric. Many Uloric lawsuit claims are now being filed as a result.

Introduction to uloric

Uloric (Febuxostat), is a prescription medication that was developed to treat patients who are suffering from the symptoms of gout.  Uloric was first put on the market in the United States in February of 2009 and it has been developed and sold in the United States by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.  When Uloric was first put on the market, Takeda Pharmaceuticals failed to disclose all risks associated with the medication. These risks were discovered during early trials and testing of the medication before its wide release to the population.

As these dangers come to light, more lawsuits are being filed for the use of Uloric and the undisclosed risks associated with the drug. These are not medical malpractice lawsuits that are being levied against the doctors who prescribed Uloric but rather they are product liability lawsuits that are being levied against Takeda Pharmaceuticals.  The Takeda lawsuits are based on the claim that there is evidence if what is known as ‘failure to adequately warn’. Takeda failed to warn people taking Uloric of the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes caused by the medication.

WHAT IS GOUT?

Gout is a form of arthritis that bring about sudden stiffness, severe pain, redness, joint tenderness, and swelling. Gout most commonly forms in lower joints like the ankles, feet and toes. Other frequently used joints such as the hands, wrists, and fingers can be affected as well.  Gout is caused by elevated uric acid levels in the blood and it is a painful and debilitating condition. Living with Gout can make simple tasks like standing and getting dressed difficult.

There are a few drugs that have been developed and approved for treating the symptoms of severe Gout. Allopurinol is the first really successful drug for this condition and it has an established safety record and success rate. It has been easily accessible as a generic medication since 1984.  Only patients with known kidney issues such as stones or kidney failure, or those individuals who are unable to process allopurinol would be taking Uloric.  Allopurinol is an effective gout medication, with a history of use without severe side effects. Allpurinol is also much cheaper than Uloric. There was a need for Gout medications for those who could not take the standard medication, so Uloric was developed.

Gout has been on the rise in the United States and over the last two decades. The number of new Gout diagnosis has increased greatly each year. This is believed to be, in part, because of the growing obesity rates the country is facing. This generally leads to higher occurrence of high blood pressure and other uncontrolled health conditions. Gout is found to be more common in men than in women. Women are developing it more often now than they were 40 years ago. The condition is now believed to affect as many as 8.5 million people, or approximately 5% of the population. There are more diagnoses being made at earlier ages which does not bode well for those with early diagnoses and minor symptoms. The risk of getting gout increases with age as does the chances of existing gout worsening. Because more people are being diagnosed, medications have grown in demand and more people have ended up taking Uloric. This increase has led to more side effects being reported and more Uloric lawsuit claims being filed.

WHAT IS ULORIC?

Uloric (Febuxostat), is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor prescribed for management of symptoms associated with chronic high Uric Acid levels in the blood of gout sufferers. Uloric originally was granted FDA approval on February 13, 2009.  When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Uloric in 2009, they were concerned there may be prolonged cardio-vascular effects of the medication. The FDA required that Takeda conduct a mandatory post-marketing cardiovascular safety study. The safety study trial was conducted on 6,000 patients taking Uloric to look for side effects.

The results of that study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 29, 2018. The study found a statistically significant increase in risk of cardiovascular death for Uloric users compared to allopurinol users. No effort was made by Takeda to alert medical experts or patients to the risks associated with the medication. This failure to act is what has been causing so much concern today.

It is this lack of action on the part of Takeda that is the basis for the bulk of the cases that are being brought against them in regards to the Uloric lawsuit claims being filed today. These personal injury and manufacture lawsuits are claiming the company failed to do its duty and failed to protect patients and medical experts by keeping the risks concealed from them. All drug manufacturers have a responsibility to let users know of risks associated with their drugs and a duty to help keep users safe and healthy as well!

WHAT ARE THE ULORIC LAWSUIT DAMAGES?

If you or a loved one experienced a heart attack, stroke, kidney damage or if a loved one died while taking Uloric, then you should seek legal counsel to see if you have a claim that can be brought to the courts.

When you contact our legal team, we will discuss your Uloric lawsuit claims with you and then will on seeing which of the flowing damages we can fight to get for you:

  • Past and future medical expenses that resulted from the injuries- the cost of treatments to repair damage caused by taking Uloric and the medical expenses associated with new medications or treatments needed to address injury to the heart or kidney from use of Uloric.
  • Funeral expenses if you lost a loved one- if a loved one has died due to the side effects and medical complications caused by Uloric and it can be shown that their death was caused or quickened by the side effects we will seek compensation for their funeral costs.
  • Past and future pain and suffering caused by the injuries- including physical and emotional and mental pain, the life-changing side effects from Uloric can lead to loss in quality of life and is a major point pressed in lawsuits being brought against the Takeda company.
  • Costs incurred related to the treatment and recovery process- for some patients, the side effects of Uloric have resulted in life long treatments and care after strokes and heart attacks or complete kidney failure so these treatment costs are commonly addressed in lawsuits.
  • Past and future wage loss- may patients suffer injuries caused by side effects that end up altering their entire life and make it impossible for them to be able to continue their work and make them unable to provide for their families the same way they had before.
  • Past and future loss of the enjoyment of life- the quality of life for many Uloric users decreases drastically after major side effects have occurred and this can rob their ability to do and enjoy many simple things in life such as travel or time with family.
  • Punitive damages, if appropriate- there may be other instances where other claims can be fields and more compensation can be gained to help offset the expenses, pain, suffering, and reduction of life quality that you or a loved one has suffered.

 

Personal Injury Cases Against Drug Manufacturers

There are three main types of lawsuits that can be brought against drug manufacturers in regards to their Uloric medication. They include:

Pharmaceutical drugs that are defectively made

These cases are based on instances where injury has been caused by pharmaceutical drugs that were improperly manufactured. This often includes medications that are contaminated or tainted. This may be the result of an error at the manufacturing facility or the pharmacy where the drug was made. Not many of the cases for Uloric are related to this. Most of the time there are no indications that the drug was contaminated or poorly formulated.

Dangerous side effects after use of pharmaceutical drugs

This lawsuit claim usually involves pharmaceutical drugs that, although properly manufactured, have side effects that result in injury. When a manufacturer knows there are risks involved with their medication but do not take ample steps to make those risks known, there is often lawsuits that follow. This is the most common lawsuit type that is being filed against Takeda for their failure to warn about the risks associated with Uloric.

Improperly marketed pharmaceutical drugs

Sometimes a medication is marketed as being safer than it really is. Patient concerns over side effects are downplayed in order to prescribe a certain medication over another. The “bad advice” may have been given by the manufacturer or by a doctor, pharmacist, sales rep, or someone else. Patient concerns were disregarded in favor of marketing a drug and there are a few of these cases being filed for Uloric.

Contact Us Today

To learn more about the specifics involved in a Uloric personal injury case, be sure to call us today. We can help you find an attorney in your area to represent you with Uloric lawsuit claims. We will fight for your rights in the courtroom. When you put your trust in a medical provider or pharmaceutical company to keep you healthy and they betrayed that trust by pushing medications that have known side effects and serious risks, you need to seek compensation for your injuries. If you have any questions or need more information, we are here to help. Uloric is at the center of major lawsuits now because of the side effects they have caused. If you or a loved one has been impacted in some way by the medication we are here to help! Call now for a free consultation with our team of experts and let us help you file a Uloric lawsuit claim and get the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.

Partner and Attorney Jennifer Liakos

Partner and Attorney Jennifer LiakosAbout the Author: Jennifer R. Liakos

Jennifer Liakos is a Partner in the Napoli Shkolnik PLLC Pharmaceutical Litigation Department and is based in the California, office.  Her practice focuses primarily on mass tort litigation, including pharmaceutical product liability, personal injury, and medical device litigation. As an experienced pharmaceutical litigator, Ms. Liakos predominantly has concentrated her practice on injuries affecting women and children.  She has been at the…

Read more about Jennifer R. Liakos

Attorney Melissa A. Agnetti

Attorney Melissa A. AgnettiAbout the Author: Melissa A. Agnetti

Ms. Agnetti’s defective drug and medical device practice primarily focuses on personal injury and mass tort litigation, including pharmaceutical product liability. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Agnetti clerked for the City Attorney’s Office of Torrance, California. While there, she prepared and drafted various pleadings and motions for all stages of civil litigation and criminal prosecution, as well as helped to…

Read more about Melissa A. Agnetti

How Can We Help?

Do you need assistance with a legal matter? Our attorneys have the experience needed to guide you in the right direction.