Lupron Lawsuit

A Brief Guide to Filing a Lupron Lawsuit:

What is Lupron?

The Lupron injection is used to treat symptoms associated with advanced prostate cancer and precocious puberty in girls younger than 8 years old and in boys younger than 9 years of age. Use of Lupron may yield side effects regardless of dosage levels, frequency or adherence to intake instructions. Please contact your doctor if the following Lupron side effects are severe or persistent:

Lupron Side Effects:

Common Lupron side effects include: fatigue; hot flashes; breast tenderness; spotting; swelling of the feet, hands, ankles or lower legs; change in weight; joint pain; flu-like symptoms; acne; general feeling of discomfort; memory problems and depression

Some Lupron side effects are more severe. If you experience the following Lupron side effects, please contact your doctor immediately:

Serious Lupron side effects include: redness or swelling where injection was administered; itching, hives or rash; pain in the jaw, neck, chest, back and arms; fainting; bone pain; frequent or painful urination; extreme thurst; breath that smells fruity; decreased consciousness; sudden headache; blurred vision; confusion; drooping eyelids; difficulty moving eyes.

Lupron side effects may also include a general decrease in bone density. Please contact your doctor about Lupron side effects.

Women with endometriosis and fibroids, as well as men with prostate cancer, may be prescribed a course of treatment via Lupron injection. Though anecdotal reports of Lupron side effects have been serious, so far no Lupron lawsuit has been successful on behalf of patients who experienced adverse effects following a course of treatment.

However, the parent company has been targeted for fraud and price-fixing concerning the Lupron injection. In 2001, the manufacturer TAP agreed to pay $875 million to settle a Lupron lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice. This litigation alleged that the company bribed physicians to bill Medicare for the more expensive Lupron injection rather than a cheaper and equally effective competitor.

Three years later, another Lupron lawsuit consolidated the complaints of many patients and private insurance companies who claimed they had also been systematically overcharged. This litigation was similarly not in connection with Lupron side effects. A settlement was resolved ending the Lupron lawsuit, awarding $150 million to be divided among the plaintiffs.

Clinical studies regarding Lupron side effects have not revealed any damaging adverse effects. However, some people who have taken the Lupron injection have complained of experiencing chronic pain, autoimmune disorders and other effects following treatment. In 2011, the first Lupron lawsuit regarding adverse effects made their way to a Las Vegas Court. These cases; however, eventually were thrown away.

Since no independent medical studies affirm a link between the Lupron injection and serious adverse effects, the odds of securing a Lurpon settlement are relatively small. In order for a Lupron lawsuit to demonstrate a link between the medication and lasting harm, an attorney must draw upon studies proving that these events form part of a broader pattern.

Lurpon FDA Review:

In 1999, the FDA reviewed reports of serious Lupron side effects. Out of 4,228 cases, 25 users had suffered fatal consequences. The FDA did not conclude that there was a cause and effect relationship between the fatality and the medication. Other studies have demonstrated that Lupron side effects can persist for an extended period of time. In one study, the Endometriosis Research Center reported that its survey of a group of women found that nearly a quarter experienced such adverse effects for five years after taking a Lupron injection.

Sources:

1.United States National Library of Medicine “Leuprolide Injection” retrieved from:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000852/

2. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/ucm169690.htm