Baron & Budd Files First Litigation in Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro Cases

10-Year Study in Journal of Neurology Reveals That Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy Doubles With Fluoroquinolone
Use
DALLAS, August 26, 2014 The Dallas-based national law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., a leader in
pharmaceutical litigation, has filed the first lawsuit involving a form of nerve damage known as peripheral
neuropathy against pharmaceutical companies which marketed a class of powerful antibiotics called
"fluoroquinolones" (FQs).
The most popular FQs, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, are sold under the trade names,
respectively, of Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro.
"FQs are one of the most heavily prescribed and promoted classes of antibiotics," said Baron & Budd
Attorney Thomas M. Sims. "They are still frequently administered to deal with routine infections, although they
have been implicated in a whole host of serious side effects."
Sims noted that last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which had received numerous reports
of peripheral neuropathy (PN) related to FQ use, ordered drug companies to change packaging inserts for all
FQs to add a warning. The FDA had cautioned that damage from PN, which causes muscle weakness,
numbness, and pain, could occur very soon after the administration of FQ drugs and that damage could be
permanent.
Now, one year after the FDAs August 15, 2013 announcement comes the publication of a study in the medical
journal Neurology in which researchers have found that the use of oral FQs doubles the risk of developing PN
among patients who have recently taken one of these drugs. This represents the first published
epidemiological research to evaluate the risk of PN among patients who had been prescribed FQs. The study
evaluated nearly one million male FQ patients aged 45 to 80 during the period from 2001 to 2011.
"Fluoroquinolones have become increasingly popular among physicians for the treatment of routine
infections," Sims observed. "Pharmaceutical companies have heavily marketed fluoroquinolones to doctors as a
cure-all. The unfortunate reality is that the best medical evidence clearly indicates the prescription of such
potent antibiotics should be limited to the treatment of serious infections."
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Sims noted that more than 23 million patients in 2011 (the last year for which figures are available) had
received a prescription of an FQ antibiotic.
He also pointed out that the FDA warning about possible PN side effects in the use of FQs was not the first
warning. "Actually, the FDAs 2013 order was an update to a 2004 label in which the manufacturers cautioned
that peripheral neuropathy could be a side effect of this class of antibiotics," he said. "In the 2004 label,
however, many of the manufacturers went on to note that there was no risk of permanent damage if the
patient simply stopped taking the drug. Last years order was handed down because the FDA determined that
the manufacturers existing label did not adequately warn physicians or their patients about the risk of
permanent nerve damage."
In 2014 Baron & Budd began accepting cases involving Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro. Baron & Budd founder
Russell Budd noted that its initial case, which is believed to be the first-ever litigation against U.S.
pharmaceutical manufacturers for FQ-induced peripheral neuropathy, was filed August 6, 2014 in San Francisco
in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Other filings have since followed, he added.
"The study recently published in Neurology is validation for the many victims of fluoroquinolones who have
struggled to be taken seriously and are now afflicted with severe and irreversible peripheral neuropathy,"
Budd said "They took what they thought was a safe medicine. We hope this study puts a spotlight on the
terrible damage that this class of drugs can cause."
"The tragedy is that so many of these plaintiffs could have been cured with a less risky antibiotic," Sims
echoed. "But, because fluoroquinolones have been overpromoted for so long, people who turned to their
doctors for the treatment of a simple sinus or urinary tract infection developed a far worse illness than the one
they sought treatment for in the first place."
ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.
With a history of more than 35 years of "Protecting Whats Right" for individuals, communities, and
governmental entities, Baron & Budd, P.C., is devoted to making a meaningful difference in the lives of
Americans. With law offices in Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, and Baton Rouge, Baron & Budd is renowned for
tackling complex cases in the litigation sectors of harmful drugs, dangerous medical devices, environmental
contamination, financial fraud, and deceptive advertising.
By Baron & Budd | August 26th, 2014 | Categories: Pharmaceuticals | Tags: Avelox, Cipro, Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics,
Levaquin
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Rachel Brummert
Thank you Tom Sims and the team at Baron & Budd for fighting so hard for fluoroquinolone
victims. On behalf of Quinolone Vigilance Foundation and as its President/Executive
Director, please allow me to express how grateful our community is that we finally have a
voice and that such a great group of people are fighting so hard for us.
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