Humira Nerve Damage Lawsuit Filed by Montana Woman

A Humira lawsuit has been filed by a Montana woman who claims that the arthritis drug caused her to suffer permanent nerve damage. 

The complaint was filed by Kara Mae Pletan, 32, in Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois on April 26 against Abbott Laboratories, which manufactures the medication.

According to the lawsuit, Pletan suffered nerve damage in her feet after being prescribed Humira to treat Crohn’s disease, which is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

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Pletan received Humira injections for three months in 2008 before she was diagnosed with small fiber peripheral neuropathy by doctors at the Mayo Clinic, the lawsuit claims. As a result, Pletan suffers from pain and hypersensitivity in her feet severe enough to cause her to give up outdoor activities and sell her family’s retail furniture business.

Humira was approved by the FDA in 2003 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It later gained approval as a treatment for several autoimmune diseases, including Crohn’s disease. The drug pulled in sales of $6.5 billion in 2010.

Pletan’s lawsuit claims that Abbott officials knew or should have known that Humira side effects included a risk of peripheral neuropathy before it received approval for autoimmune disease treatments, but says the company failed to warn doctors and patients about the risks. In 2006, French researchers reported that the drug could be linked to nerve damage.

Earlier this year, an FDA warning was issued for Humira and other bowel treatment drugs in a class of medications known as TNF blockers, indicating that the medications could be linked to a form of cancer known as Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma (HSTCL). Other drugs listed in the warning included Remicade, Enbrel, Cimzia and Simponi.

Two other women filed Humira cancer lawsuits earlier this year, alleging that Abbott Laboratories failed to adequately warn about these side effects.

In 2009, the FDA required black box warnings be placed on all TNF blockers warning of the increased risk of childhood cancer. The FDA found that incidents of cancer began to appear about 30 months after TNF blocker treatment in some children being treated for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disorder and Crohn’s disease.

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5 Comments

  • PhyllisFebruary 24, 2024 at 3:42 pm

    I began taking Humira injections in either 07 or 08 for rheumatoid arthritis and took it until it no longer worked for me. During that time I developed neuropathy in my feet as well as restless leg/body syndrome. For the restless legs, many of the then current meds were tried, and I still take Ropinerole. No medication for the neuropathy was prescribed nor was I referred to a neurologist. I [Show More]I began taking Humira injections in either 07 or 08 for rheumatoid arthritis and took it until it no longer worked for me. During that time I developed neuropathy in my feet as well as restless leg/body syndrome. For the restless legs, many of the then current meds were tried, and I still take Ropinerole. No medication for the neuropathy was prescribed nor was I referred to a neurologist. I remember my rheumatologist at the time asking if I wanted to stop the Humira? What do you do? The Humira was helping the RA, but it was causing the neuropathy and restless legs which I have dealt with 24/7 since it began.

  • JamesNovember 20, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    After taking humira for many years I now have nerapathy in both legs and feet I had a nerve biopsy that showed nerve damage ordered by my neurologist

  • AmandaApril 19, 2022 at 11:36 pm

    I was in perfect health before taking Humira in 2020 and I had a stroke and permanent nerve damage before n after the stroke! Humira is the cause and the only cause. Drs didn’t rule it out that’s for sure.... more testing needs to be done. Drs aren’t warning patients enough and Humira don’t either. Here is your meds read the Humira packet... that’s what the Drs say read the pamphlet... more peopl[Show More]I was in perfect health before taking Humira in 2020 and I had a stroke and permanent nerve damage before n after the stroke! Humira is the cause and the only cause. Drs didn’t rule it out that’s for sure.... more testing needs to be done. Drs aren’t warning patients enough and Humira don’t either. Here is your meds read the Humira packet... that’s what the Drs say read the pamphlet... more people this will happen to and more lawsuits to come.. personally Humira needs to be done away with..

  • J. MarkMarch 17, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    I have been taking Humira for two months and have severe muscle weakness and pain in my upper arms shoulders and hands. I suspected the Humira after the first dose. My family doctor believes my pain and weakness is caused by Humira. I have ceased using the drug two weeks ago, but the pain continues.

  • douglasNovember 2, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    I was diagnosed with multi-focal motor neuropathy after taking Humira for Anklosing Spondilitius.

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