Victim Claims Serious Infections Due to Recalled Raptiva

Victim Claims Serious Infections Due to Recalled Raptiva (February 4, 2011) A Massachusetts man alleged that his meningitis and acute retinal necrosis was caused by the recalled drug, Raptiva, which he used as a medication for his psoriasis. The Raptiva lawsuit filed on January 10 in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts against the drug makers – Genentech and Xoma – said that Gerald Sylvia, who was diagnosed with psoriasis, was advised by his attending medical professional to use Raptiva as a medication for his psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin sickness characterized by reddened, flaky, itchy skin that resembles dry patches. Occasionally, the patches bleed due to irritation and scratching. It is typically found on the elbows, knees, back and the scalp. In 2003, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Raptiva, it was welcomed by patients as there are only a few treatments for psoriasis. In the U.s, the prevalence of psoriasis is estimated to be around 2 to 3 percent, and out of those, 35 percent are classified as having moderate to severe psoriasis. However, the slight benefits of Raptiva do not outweigh the many life-threatening side effects of the drug. Sylvia, one of the Raptiva victims, suffered permanent, disabling and horrific injuries from the infections and lost vision in his right eye. Sylvia accused the drug makers of deceptive marketing, saying that upon knowledge of the risk of infections from Raptiva, Genentech still failed to warn the medical doctors or patients. The Raptiva lawsuit filed by Sylvia also claims the two companies left a defective drug on the market when they knew safer alternatives were available. In October 2008, the FDA added a black box warning to Raptiva warning against the risk of life-threatening infections, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). However, the sales of Raptiva remained strong, garnering $108 million in its last full year on the market. In 2009, Genentech issued a Raptiva recall in the U.S. after it was linked to three confirmed deaths and one suspected case of PML. It was determined that the risks associated with the drug outweighed any potential benefits in treating psoriasis.

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