Remicade Lawsuits
Last Updated: August 2008 • 7 Comments
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The arthritis drug Remicade has been linked to a number of serious and potentially life threatening injuries. In September 2008, stronger warnings were added about an increased risk of invasive fungal infections.
STATUS OF REMICADE LAWSUITS: Lawyers are evaluating research surrounding the potential safety concerns involving cancer and Remicade, as well as potential cases for individuals who developed fungal infections.
MANUFACTURER: Centocor and Johnson & Johnson
OVERVIEW: Remicade (infliximab) is an autoimmune disorder drug known as a Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blocker. It is approved by the FDA for treatment of psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.
It was the first TNF antagonist available in the United States, and has been used by more patients world-wide than the other medications in the same class, Enbrel and Humira, combined. It is a blockbuster drug for the pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson.
REMICADE CANCER SIDE EFFECTS: In 2004, a warning letter was sent to healthcare professionals indicating that Remicade had been associated with more cases of lymphoma among patients receiving the drug. A study published in the May 17, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that Remicade side effects could triple the risk of developing cancer.
In June 2008, the FDA released an early communication about an ongoing safety review involving Remicade and a possible association with the development of lymphoma and other cancers among children and young adults. At least 30 reports of childhood cancer were received by the FDA involving the use of TNF blockers. Other medications indicated in this early communication were Humira and Enbrel.
According to Johnson & Johnson, among children taking Remicade, most of the reports of juvenile cancer involved those treated for the bowel disorder Crohn’s disease. Approximately half of the cancers seen in all children and young adults taking TNF blockers were lymphomas, including both Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a cancer of cells in the immune system. Lymphoma is not a recognized complication of JIA (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis) or of Crohn’s disease. Other cancers reported included leukemia, melanoma and solid organ cancers.
REMICADE FUNGAL INFECTIONS: A number of users who were receiving TNF blockers, such as Remicade, have experienced fungal infections, such as histoplasmosis, blastomycosis and cocciioidmycosis. In several of these cases the infection resulted in death.
In September 2008, the FDA issued an alert to healthcare providers to provide new information about the risk of Remicade fungal infections. At that time the agency also indicated that new information will be added to the Remicade black box warning to ensure that doctors and consumers are aware of the risk, especially for those who live in or visit areas where fungus is prevalent.
Unfortunately, many cases of fungal infections from Remicade go undiagnosed by doctors, since the symptoms are similar to the flu. Symptoms could include cough, fever, fatigue, loss of weight, sweating and shortness of breath.
Pingback by FDA Investigates Possible Association of Enbrel, Humira and Remicade with Lymphoma Cancer in Children — AboutLawsuits.com on 5 June 2008:
[...] conditions among children. The agency is investigating reports of children and young adults using Remicade, Enbrel and Humira who developed lymphoma and other [...]
Pingback by Humira Lawsuits : AboutLawsuits.com on 5 September 2008:
[...] FDA involving the use of TNF blockers. Other medications indicated in this early communication were Remicade and [...]
Pingback by Enbrel Lawsuits : AboutLawsuits.com on 5 September 2008:
[...] ENBREL CANCER SIDE EFFECTS: In June 2008, the FDA released an early communication about an ongoing safety review involving Enbrel and a possible association with the development of lymphoma and other cancers among children and young adults. At least 30 reports of childhood cancer were received by the FDA involving the use of TNF blockers. Other medications indicated in this early communication were Humira and Remicade. [...]
Pingback by Black Box Warning for Remicade, Enbrel and Other Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs about Risk of Fungal Infection : AboutLawsuits.com on 5 September 2008:
[...] the risk of a serious fungal infection which may develop in users of rheumatoid arthritis drugs Remicade, Humira, Enbrel and Cimzia. The agency indicates that new information will be added to the [...]
Comment by MADALINE on 28 October 2008:
my husband took remicade for a little over two years. in may 2007he went into dehydration, all vital organs went out of normal limits. he got a severe lung infection and was on 5 differant antibiotics. they never found a cause. His white count stayed over l6 and went up to 35 in december and was again hospitalized for a severe infection in a hip (artificial). again a bug could not be cultured. i believe remicade caused this problem. he has been in eight medical ficilties in a year and a half. we stopped remicade in may of 2007 and will not go back. beware.
Pingback by Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Do Not Increase Cancer Risk According to New Research : AboutLawsuits.com on 29 October 2008:
[...] research suggests that Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and other biologic TNF-blockers widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis do not appear to [...]
Comment by john on 2 June 2009:
I had remicade infusions for over a year and developed a nodule in my left lung. The pet scan came back positive and I was rushed into surgery to remove the nodule, the pathlogoly report indicated blastomycosis and I remained in the hospital for a couple of days. I had a lung scan done before i started the remicade due to my doctor wanting to rule out phumonia. Scary stuff indeed- it does help the crohns despite the risks….godbless.