Cymbalta Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Lawsuit Filed Against Eli Lilly
Published: January 18th, 2012
A Kansas woman is has filed a product liability lawsuit against Eli Lilly and Co. after suffering a dangerous and disfiguring skin reaction, known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which was allegedly caused by side effects of Cymbalta.
Nanci Matos, filed the Cymbalta lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas on January 6.
According to the complaint, Matos alleges that she developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome from Cymbalta, a popular antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication.
Matos began taking Cymbalta in November 2009. By December, she indicates that she started to show signs of a skin reaction and was hospitalized in January 2010.
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a reaction that can be caused by some medications, where the skin begins to burn from the inside out, producing blisters, severe rash and the skin may separate from the body. When the skin lesions affect more than 30% of the body, the condition is typically referred to as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).
Treatment for SJS or TEN typically involves inpatient care at a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or Burn Unit, and the conditions can be fatal in many cases.
Matos’ Stevens-Johnson syndrome lawsuit claims that Eli Lilly failed to adequately warn doctors and patients that Cymbalta side effects could cause dangerous skin reactions.
According to the lawsuit, the FDA asked the company as early as 2007 to investigate potential link between Cymbalta and skin reaction problems, but Eli Lilly allegedly ignored that request and a number of other warnings by experts until September 2011, when the Cymbalta label was updated to include a warning of SJS and other skin reaction side effects.
Matos accuses Eli Lilly of strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, misrepresentation, fraud and violations of consumer protection laws. She seeks damages for disfigurement, pain, suffering, mental anguish, embarrassment, shame, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium and other injuries.
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