› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
A Louisiana man is suing the manufacturer of the acid reflux medication Reglan (metoclopramide) alleging the medication caused him to develop a debilitating nervous system disorder known as tardive dyskinesia. Isreal Bennett of Jefferson Parish filed the suit against Qualitest Pharmaceuticals on June 11, 2010, in federal court in New Orleans.
A team of researchers in India hope a new tool for identifying acid reflux disease will lead to improved treatments for the more than 15 million Americans who suffer from the bothersome symptoms. The tool is a molecular imaging device that allows researchers to study the differences between a healthy esophageal muscle and an unhealthy one.
Severe acid reflux or heartburn can be painful and bothersome with symptoms that range from chest pain or a burning esophagus to hoarseness and sore throat. There are several methods to treat the condition such as manipulating the stomach acid secretion by neutralizing the acid, blocking the Histamine2 to stop acid production, or blocking the gastric proton pump. While the host of over-the-counter and prescription drugs to treat acid reflux can bring temporary relief, long-term use of acid reflux drugs can lead to some alarming adverse reactions.
A popular medication for gastrointestinal conditions such as severe heartburn, acid reflux and gastroparesis may not only be ineffective in treating the conditions for which it is prescribed, it can also be dangerous to users of the drug. Reglan (metoclopramide), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1979 as a short term treatment for a symphony of gastric disorders. Studies published in medical journals over the years show that the drug provides moderate relief of symptoms at best. What it also does is put users of the medication at an elevated risk of developing a serious involuntary movement disorder called Tardive Dyskinesia.
When 57-year-old August Macaluso, a former nuclear-plant maintenance worker in Charlotte, N.C., began shaking violently, blinking incessantly and slurring his speech, he and his wife Sharon were both puzzled. Desperate for answers, Sharon Googled his symptoms and learned that the drug her husband had been taking for just three months was linked to the involuntary movement disorder Tardive Dyskinesia with frighteningly similar symptoms. He stopped taking the drug and after a battery of medical tests, doctors confirmed the Macalusoes’ worst fears. August had suffered permanent damage.
