Levaquin Marketing Campaign the Focus of New Lawsuit
Margaret C. Woods is the newest plaintiff to file a Levaquin lawsuit. The 81-year-old woman filed her lawsuit in a federal court on February 10, 2012. The defendant is drug giant Johnson & Johnson, along with the other manufacturers of the drug.
Woods is accusing the defendants of targeting seniors like her in their marketing campaigns while simultaneously hiding Levaquin's negative and harmful side effects. Woods’ accusations aren’t the first time that the drug companies have been accused of targeting seniors, either. In November 2011, Johnson & Johnson was accused of hiding the risks of tendon ruptures occurring in elderly patients. In fact, the lawsuit specifically accused J&J of targeting the elderly as its primary customers for the drug. That lawsuit was filed by Kathleen Y. Solie.
Woods’ lawsuit is set to join the MDL in Minnesota which currently includes nine causes of action, including fraud, negligence and breach of warranties. Woods began taking Levaquin about two years ago when she developed pneumonia. She believes the Levaquin caused her to suffer from a rotator cuff (supraspinatus) tear, which has pained her ever since. Woods also claims that her injuries removed her ability to live independently.
Levaquin is an antibiotic medication that is often used to treat different infections including sinusitis and respiratory infections. Research has proven that the chances of patients suffering from Levaquin side effects such as tendon ruptures and other tendon injuries increases if the patient is over the age of 65 and/or if they are taking corticosteroids. This increased risk forced the FDA to issue a black box warning against Levaquin. The regulators also ensured that the drug’s manufacturers include the tendon rupture risks on the warning labels.
Woods’ lawsuit is only one in a long list of plaintiffs who are all claiming that they suffered from a debilitating tendon rupture after taking Levaquin. The ruptures are not only happening to elderly patients either, since at least one plaintiff who suffered from a tendon rupture was just 40 years of age.
