Atlanta Dilantin Side Effects Injury Attorneys
Georgia Dilantin Side Effects Injury Lawyers, Helping Injured People throughout Georgia
Consumers and patients generally have to trust the advice of doctors who recommend specific drugs and medications. If a drug is on the market, we expect it to be safe, but the anti-epileptic drug, Dilantin, is the focus of dozens of lawsuits claiming the drug causes horrendous and life-threatening burns to the skin. Dilantin (generic name: Phenytoin) is manufactured by Pfizer and has been on the market since the 1930s. Although the drug has not been recalled, it can cause serious and even fatal side effects to its users. The FDA first provided a warning about the adverse effects of the drug on Nov. 24, 2008.
If you have suffered serious side effects caused by your treatment with Dilantin, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law's experienced Atlanta defective drug attorneys represent clients throughout Georgia who suffer serious injuries and side effects from dangerous and defective drugs.
Dilantin is used to treat epilepsy and to prevent seizures, which often follow head injuries. The lawsuits allege that Dilantin causes Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a deadly skin disease resulting from a drug reaction and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), a related condition. TEN causes a patient’s skin to literally burn off and may develop when the patient suffers burns to 30% or more of a patient’s body. Dilantin is also believed to cause blindness and extensive internal organ damage –– and in some cases death.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed for serious injuries caused by Dilantin, including a case involving a nine year old girl, Jesse Nicholas Jacobson, who died less than a month after beginning treatment with Dilantin. Pfizer, the manufacturer of Dilantin settled the case for $3.78 million. Other lawsuits involve victims who were treated at hospital burn units after being treated with Dilantin. Examinations of patients treated for burns reveals that the effects of Dilantin make it appear as though they were cooked from the inside out.
Though only a few hundred lawsuits are expected to be filed based on the harmful side effects from Dilantin, these cases are particularly compelling for a number of reasons. First, many victims are children who are being treated for epilepsy-type seizure conditions. Because of the particularly vulnerable nature of the victims and the extremely painful nature of SJS and TEN, it is expected that juries will be particularly sympathetic to those injured by this defective drug. Causation is also easier to establish in these cases than many other drug side effect cases because SJS and TEN are only caused by taking medications. If Dilantin is the only drug taken by a patient that causes these disorders, causation is fairly easily established.
Many of the Dilantin side effect lawsuits allege a failure to provide an adequate warning to populations that are particularly prone to develop SJS and TEN from taking Dilantin. Asians and African-Americans are especially susceptible to the negative effects of these drugs. It also appears that Pfizer was aware of this particular vulnerability because they provided a warning advising of such a heightened risk amongst African-American patients in the Czech republic and the Netherlands. One can only speculate why the same warnings were not added in the U.S. where there is a substantially larger African-American population. It certainly appears that the labeling was changed in countries where the warning would have a negligible impact on the company’s bottom line, but no warning was provided in the U.S. where it might substantially cut into sales of the drug.
If you or someone you love has suffered a serious medical condition like Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis which may be a result of your treatment with Dilantin, Montlick and Associates will work hard and to get you the best result possible. We are dedicated to providing exceptional service as part of our goal of being known as the top personal injury law firm in Georgia.
Our experienced Atlanta Dilantin injury lawyers will strive to get the best results possible in your case. Montlick and Associates is available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.
