We all know those drug commercials that list the different potential side effects so fast that you can barely remember any of them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures that the drugs on the market are properly labeled with the potential side effects so that the doctors and patients may make informed decisions. Recently, the FDA was forced to add a black box warning on the prescription medication Uloric for an increased risk in cardiovascular death. Patients have experienced heart attacks and strokes which in some cases have led to death.
What Is Uloric?
Uloric is a prescribed medication used to treat symptoms of gout. Gout is a type of arthritis usually located in the toes and feet of adults. Gout can cause serious pain in the tendons when uloric acid levels in the blood rise and cause uloric crystals to deteriorate near the joint. The drug uloric reduces the levels of uloric acids in the body to help prevent a gout flare up, which can be excessively painful.
Why Is Uloric Considered Dangerous?
Uloric is now considered dangerous after the FDA revealed a report showing an increased risk of cardiovascular death in patients who took uloric versus other gout medications. This deadly side effect was not listed on any warnings regarding uloric so the patients and doctors were unaware of the risks when taking and prescribing the medication. Now, the FDA added a black box warning to uloric, which is the most serious warning the FDA administers.
In addition, the FDA also restricted the prescription of uloric in all patients except those who have tried other gout drugs with no result. This FDA response comes only after a former employee of the manufacturing company filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging corruption. The former employee alleges that the company purposefully did not disclose the cardiovascular side effects to the public for fear of loss of profit and placement in the gout medication market.
Contact an Experienced Uloric Lawyer Today!
If you or a loved one experienced serious cardiovascular side effects when taking Uloric, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering, among other losses. We partner with some of the best Uloric Lawyers in the field, who charge no fee unless you get an award or settlement. To see if you have a case, just call us today at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out an online contact form for a free (no obligation) case evaluation.
Sources:
- webmd.com/arthritis/news/20110728/gout-becoming-more-common-in-us
- fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-adds-boxed-warning-increased-risk-death-gout-medicine-uloric-febuxostat
Paul d’Oliveira
Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.
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