Actemra Lawsuits

The rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra has been linked to reports of heart attacks, strokes, interstitial lung disease, heart failure, acute pancreatitis and other potentially life threatening complications that were not disclosed on the warning label. 

ACTEMRA LAWSUIT STATUS: Product liability lawyers previously reviewed Actemra lawsuits for individuals nationwide who experienced side effects like:

• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Heart Failure
• Lung Disease
• Pancreatitis
• Wrongful Death

Manufacturer: Roche and it’s Genentech subsidiary

Overview: Actemra (tocilizumab) is a immunosuppressive drug approved to treat rhematoid arthritis. It was introduced in 2010 and was the first in a class of medications known as IL-6 receptor inhibitors.

In May 2017, approval was expanded to include treatment of giant cell arteritis, which is also known as temporal arteritis. Actemra is also widely used “off-label” for other conditions.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in joints. It is chronic and progressive, impacting about 1.5 million Americans.

Actemra is a second-line therapy reserved for those who have failed to respond to other arthritis drugs, meaning that many users have moderate or severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis. It is delivered through an intravenous infusion or an injection.

Although other competing rheumatoid arthritis drugs, such as Humira, Enbrel and Remicade, contain strong warnings, no information was contained on the Actemra drug label about a risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, lung disease, pancreatitis and other common problems experienced by users.

ACTEMRA SIDE EFFECTS: In June 2017, an investigative report by Statnews.com identified thousands of adverse event reports submitted to the FDA between 2010 and 2016, which involved serious injuries like heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, interstitial lung disease, acute pancreatitis and at least 1,128 Actemra deaths.

While many of those side effects are commonly associated with immunosuppresant drugs, Actemra’s warning label did not indicate they were a risk, which may have led some patients and some in the medical community to believe the drug was safer than its competitors.

The STAT report highlighted the risk of Actemra problems and the failure to warn users and the medical community.

Two studies published in July 2017 linked the drug to increased risks of infections among certain users. Another study published in January 2018 warned that Actemra side effects increased the risk of blood loss following knee replacement surgery.