Cincinnati Reglan Lawyer

Please note the law offices of O’Connor, Acciani & Levy are no longer accepting Reglan injury claims.

The digestive drug Reglan has been linked to tardive dyskinesia, a severe and potentially chronic nervous system disorder that causes repetitive, involuntary movements, such as rapid eye blinking and shaking of the arms and legs.

If you suffered tardive dyskinesia or other side effects while taking Reglan, you could be entitled to compensation for the cost of your medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other effects of your injuries. The defective drug attorneys at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy are here to help you file your Reglan lawsuit to pursue all of the compensation you are entitled. Our Cincinnati Reglan lawyers can manage every aspect of the legal process, including legal filings, settlement negotiations and courtroom proceedings.

At our firm, injury victims are entitled to a free, no obligation legal consultation. We will discuss your legal options and if we think it is in your best interest to pursue a case. If you have grounds for a lawsuit and choose to move forward, we will not charge for our services unless we obtain fair compensation.

REGLAN SIDE EFFECTS

The prescription drug Reglan (metoclopramide) has been on the market for more than three decades. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a variety of gastrointestinal issues, such as:

Reglan has also been prescribed for off-label uses that have not been approved by the FDA, such as morning sickness in pregnant women and vomiting caused by cluster headaches or migraine headaches.

Many patients who have taken Reglan have suffered side effects, including tardive dyskinesia (TD), which causes repetitive, involuntary movements, such as:

These symptoms can persist even after the patient has stopped taking Reglan. In some cases, the symptoms subside over time. However, some people experience symptoms for an extended period of time.

FDA WARNING

In 2009, the FDA added a black box warning to the labels of medications containing metoclopramide. A black box warning is the most serious warning the FDA adds to drug labels, indicating there is evidence linking the drug to a serious health problem.

The warning says the risk of developing TD increases the longer a patient takes Reglan. It says to avoid prescribing Reglan for more than the recommended 12 weeks, except in rare cases when the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of developing TD. Treatment with this drug should be discontinued when a patient shows signs or symptoms of TD.

If you suffered any side effects while taking Reglan, contact our lawyers in Cincinnati to discuss filing a lawsuit to pursue compensation. We understand how devastating TD and other Reglan side effects can be and are committed to fighting for all of the compensation you are entitled.

RESEARCH ON REGLAN SIDE EFFECTS

Researchers have warned about the dangers of Reglan for decades. In 1983, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a letter noted that one of the primary concerns about the drug was that prolonged use could cause TD.

Almost a decade later, in 1992, the Archives of Family Medicine published a study noting that TD was a serious potential side effect of Reglan.

Researchers analyzed 67 case reports on patients who suffered from this disorder. They found the most common location of dyskinetic movements was the face, with 60 percent of patients studied experiencing symptoms in their faces.

Follow-up treatment was provided to 21 patients who suffered from TD. Researchers found 15 of the 21 experienced symptoms six months or more after discontinuing Reglan.

Another study from 2007 found that many Reglan patients were prescribed this medication for longer than the label recommendations. This study was published in Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Safety.

In 2015, the Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences published the results of a questionnaire of 1,000 patients prescribed Reglan in Bucharest. The questionnaire revealed that certain factors could increase the likelihood of neurological side effects.

For example, 18 of the patients who reported moderate to severe side effects were on other medications:

• Five patients were taking selective serotonin inhibitors and suffered hyperthermia, intense sweating and agitation when they began taking Reglan
• Seven patients taking first generation antihistaminic drugs suffered intense daytime sleepiness and poor motor coordination
• Four patients were taking antidopaminergic neuroleptics and suffered involuntary movements in the neck and tongue muscles, rigidity in their extremities, hyperthermia and hallucinations
• Two patients with epilepsy who were already taking carbamazepine suffered epileptic seizures more intense than usual within 12 to 36 hours of starting Reglan

Thousands of patients who have suffered side effects while taking Reglan have filed Reglan lawsuits to pursue compensation for damages. Our experienced drug attorneys in Cincinnati may be able to help you pursue a lawsuit over TD or other Reglan-induced side effects.

REGLAN LAWSUITS

Manufacturers of brand name and generic Reglan have faced thousands of product liability lawsuits over the dangers of this medication.

Many of these lawsuits allege patients suffered side effects due to the negligence of the manufacturer. Some lawsuits also allege the drug companies published misleading information about the risks of Reglan and failed to warn doctors and consumers. There are also malpractice lawsuits alleging medical practitioners provided care that fell below accepted standards in the medical community.

Many of these Reglan lawsuits were filed against manufacturers of generic versions of Reglan. In many of these cases, courts must rule on whether these manufacturers can be held liable.

In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that generic manufacturers cannot be sued under state law over allegations they failed to provide adequate warnings about potential side effects on the label.

However, in the years since that ruling, some state courts have supported this decision while others have made rulings that seem to contradict it.

For example, in 2012, an Ohio federal judge issued a ruling that essentially upheld what the Supreme Court said.

The case was filed by a woman who suffered a neurological disorder after she began taking a generic form of Reglan. However, the judge ruled neither brand-name or generic makers of Reglan could be held liable because the brand-name company did not make the medication and claims against generic manufacturers are prohibited by federal law.

However, in 2014, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that makers of brand-name prescription drugs can be held liable for claims from patients who took generic versions of Reglan. This includes claims for fraud or misrepresentation in failing to warn about the risks of this medication.

Then, in 2016, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that federal law does not prohibit state claims about a generic drug manufacturer failing to do timely updates of product labels to match what is on labels for brand-name medications.

Many Reglan lawsuits have been settled, but a lot of these settlements have not been made public. This includes a settlement of approximately 4,000 lawsuits against Teva Pharmaceuticals, Pliva and Watson Laboratories, companies that manufacture generic versions of the drug.

The various court rulings on Reglan lawsuits show how complicated defective drug cases can be, and why you should strongly consider working with a Cincinnati attorney as you pursue fair compensation. We can review your situation to determine if you can file a lawsuit.

CONTACT A CINCINNATI ATTORNEY TODAY ABOUT A REGLAN LAWSUIT

Are you suffering from tardive dyskinesia because you took Reglan to relieve nausea or other digestive issues?

The manufacturer of the drug could be held liable for your medical expenses, lost wages and other damages. Contact one of our trusted Cincinnati Reglan lawyers for a free consultation to determine all of your legal options.

There is no obligation to pursue a case and we will not charge for our services unless you receive compensation.