Lawyers: J&J Hired Ghostwriters to Claim Levaquin is Safe
Plaintiff lawyers in the Levaquin trial currently underway in a New Jersey court have alleged that Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the controversial antibiotic, hired ghostwriters to pen articles declaring the drug’s efficacy and safety in a bid to hide the real tendon dangers from the public.
The case that is currently underway was filed on behalf of Paul Gaffney and Robert Bear, who both claim that they were not properly warned of the tendon rupture risk associated with Levaquin before taking the drug. Their complaint states that because of J&J’s efforts to hide the risks from healthcare professionals as well as the public, both men developed tendon ruptures after taking Levaquin. While the men initially filed separate complaints, their cases were eventually combined into one because they were so similar in nature.
The plaintiffs' lawyer said in an opening statement that “J&J officials knew there was a problem and did everything they could to hide it to protect Levaquin’s sales.” The lawyer also said that neither man can walk after having suffered from the tendon ruptures as well as mentioning that both required surgery to treat their conditions. It was then that the lawyer accused the drug giant of hiring the ghostwriters to write about how safe and effective Levaquin is while downplaying the safety risks.
Since this trial is only the third to reach a courtroom so far, it is expected to be a big one even though it is being tried in state court instead of federal court. It is seen by many as the tie-breaker case, since the first two Levaquin lawsuits that went to trial resulted in one win and one loss. All of the New Jersey cases have been consolidated into mass tort in Atlantic City.
