State and federal court trials are scheduled to begin in April and May, respectively, for claims over tendon ruptures from Levaquin, an antibiotic made by Johnson & Johnson.
More than 2,500 Levaquin lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals who allege that the drug maker failed to adequately research their medication or warn about the risk of tendon damage. Of those cases, 1512 are pending in New Jersey state court and 990 are pending in federal court, where the litigation has been centralized for pretrial preceedings as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota before U.S. District Judge John Tunheim.
During a status conference earlier this month before Judge Tunheim, the parties confirmed that a New Jersey state court Levaquin trial is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2011, and it is anticipated that it will last four to six weeks. That case will be followed by a federal trial in the MDL, which is set to begin on May 31, 2011. A third trial is scheduled to begin on September 12, 2011 in California state court, but the parties indicated that date may likely change.
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Learn MoreOnly one Levaquin lawsuit has reached a jury so far, resulting in a $1.8 million verdict in federal court in December. That case, brought by John Schedin, was the first of six federal claims selected to serve as a bellwether trial, which are designed to gauge how juries are likely to respond to testimony, evidence and arguments that will be similar in other cases. The second federal bellwether trial, set to begin on May 31, will be a case selected by the Defendants.
Levaquin (levofloxacin) is an antibiotic approved by the FDA in 1996 to prevent infection by stopping the reproduction of bacteria. However, it has been linked to an increased risk of tendon damage and tendon ruptures, particularly involving the Achilles tendon.
In July 2008, the FDA required that a “black box” warning be added about the side effects of Levaquin and other similar antibiotics, which is the strongest warning that can be placed on a prescription medication. However, consumer advocates called for Levaquin tendon rupture warnings to be added at least two years earlier, with Public Citizen filing a petition with the FDA in 2006, insisting that consumers and the medical community be provided with clearer warnings about the risk of tendon damage.
3 Comments
GroverSeptember 17, 2016 at 7:32 pm
After taking Levaquin I had serious damage and ruptures of the tendons in my shoulders, and one ankle. The two shoulders, one knee, and one ankle caused great pain, followed by replacement surgery. In addition to the Pain and Suffering, It cost me several thousands of dollars of lost wages, months of physical therapy and business opportunities
MildredMarch 22, 2015 at 3:10 am
I was given levaqiun 500 mg twice a day for 14 days for pneumonia on 1/2/15. Five days later I began having severe knee pain and swelling, bilateral. My Doctor stopped the med after I took it for 10 days, and thought that the levaqiun could be the cause. The pain continued and I got bilateral knee MRI'S, which showed medial meniscus tears. I didn't have any pain before taking the levaquin. I do ha[Show More]I was given levaqiun 500 mg twice a day for 14 days for pneumonia on 1/2/15. Five days later I began having severe knee pain and swelling, bilateral. My Doctor stopped the med after I took it for 10 days, and thought that the levaqiun could be the cause. The pain continued and I got bilateral knee MRI'S, which showed medial meniscus tears. I didn't have any pain before taking the levaquin. I do have pulmonary sarcoid and have had knee effusions, but no pain. I have pain constantly, and have minimal relief with motrin 800 mg,vicodin, neuron tin, and robaxin. I limp every day, and my legs feel weak. Any advice??? Thanks
stanMay 9, 2011 at 10:58 pm
I am a 63 year old male that has Lupussince the age of 18. I have been on Prednisone for most of adult life. I had a triple by-pass 6 years ago and now suffer from CHF and in A-Fib. I have been cardio-verted twice successfully but slip back into A-Fib a short time after. I am on Amiodarone and take Coumadin because of the A-Fib. This winter I developed an upper chest infection and the Dr.-oncall a[Show More]I am a 63 year old male that has Lupussince the age of 18. I have been on Prednisone for most of adult life. I had a triple by-pass 6 years ago and now suffer from CHF and in A-Fib. I have been cardio-verted twice successfully but slip back into A-Fib a short time after. I am on Amiodarone and take Coumadin because of the A-Fib. This winter I developed an upper chest infection and the Dr.-oncall at my clinic prescibed Levaquin 500mg. Within a few days, my legs started to hurt and I asked the Dr. what would cause this and he said he didn't know. i finished the 10 days without relief of the chest cold and gave me another 10 days. By this time I couldn't walk without pain, so I stopped the drug myself. It felt like walking on glass. This was in Feburary and in May my legs still cause me grief. My Doctor now says I have tendonitis in both legs. Nothing I have done is helping. Any suggestions because my quality of life has disappeared.