› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
Women who use heartburn medication during pregnancy should not be overly concerned about the drugs causing birth defects, but using the drugs before they become pregnant may cause problems for the unborn child, according to a new study from Denmark published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Ron, a musician and artist, was having trouble sleeping. His legs would move involuntarily back and forth under the sheets. At first, both Ron and his doctors thought he suffered from restless leg syndrome. But after a battery of tests conducted by neurologists, and a review of his medical history and medications, doctors determined that Ron suffered from a Parkinson’s-like condition known as Tardive Dyskinesia. They say it was caused by the heartburn medication Reglan.
Diabetics who suffer from nausea, vomiting, bloating, or abdominal discomfort after eating may be eligible to participate in a study for an investigational medication to reduce the symptoms associated with delayed stomach emptying, also known as gastroparesis, a condition many diabetics experience.
A New Jersey judge is calling for a statewide consolidation of all lawsuits filed against the makers of the heartburn medication Reglan that involve claims that the drug caused a serious and debilitating movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. Judge Eugene J. Codey, Jr., of the Essex County Superior Court, filed the request arguing that the New Jersey court system could better handle the mounting number of lawsuits if they were all centralized in one court. The primary defendant in the lawsuits, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, is headquartered in New Jersey.
In the February 1996 issue of the drug newsletter Worst Pills, Best Pills News, a story was published by the Health Research Group of Public Citizen warning that a drug commonly prescribed for heartburn and slow emptying of the stomach contents, a condition known as gastroparesis, could cause a serious movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. The condition could cause permanent disability in users, according to the report.
However, it took more than a decade for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to place a black box warning on the medication, Reglan. A black box warning is the strongest warning issued by the FDA and is placed on drugs that have potentially harmful or deadly side effects. Meanwhile, the drug was dispensed 6.5 million times in 2008 to an estimated 2 million Americans.
People with movement disorders that are inherited or caused by infection or other occurrences, such as Parkinson’s disease, have a bevy of resources available. But for those whose debilitating condition came as a result of medication have little support. The National Empowerment Center, an organization dedicated to those with mental illness, is raising awareness and educating the public about such conditions in hopes to change that trend.
