November 8th, 2006

"Lawsuit Filed Against Plavix for Deceptive Marketing Practices"

A patient who suffered serious injury after using the popular blood-thinner Plavix has filed the first lawsuit against the drug maker accusing the company of intentionally withholding vital safety information in the name of profit.

Dorothy Hall took Plavix to prevent the onset of a heart attack or stroke. However, according to the defective product lawsuit filed by Hall and her husband, she suffered two serious strokes as a direct result of using Plavix.

Concealing Plavix Risks

The lawsuit alleges that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis, the drug makers, wrongfully concealed the dangers associated with the use of Plavix. Furthermore, the suit claims that Hall would never have used the medication if she had known about its risks, which include heart attack, stroke, internal bleeding, and death.

“BMS and Sanofi repeatedly thwarted the law and their duty to inform the public about the drug they were promoting for profit. They misinformed physicians about who should be given Plavix and about the proper applications for the drug, causing people to die and be seriously injured as a result,” said plaintiff attorney Nancy Hersh.

The drug manufacturers marketed Plavix as a safer and more effective form of drug therapy than aspirin to prevent strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular complications. Consequently, physicians who were never notified of the severe risks of Plavix began prescribing the drug—either alone or in combination with aspirin—more frequently.

Plavix Dangers Revealed

In early 2006, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Plavix actually increased the chances of suffering the conditions it was designed to prevent.

“Although doctors believe the combination of Plavix and aspirin should reduce the risk of a second heart attack, the combination not only does not help, but it nearly doubles the risk of death, heart attack, or stroke in people with no history of heart disease,” according to the study authors.

The personal injury lawsuit filed by Hall and her husband seeks unspecified damages.

Harmed by Plavix? Please click here to learn how you may be eligible to recover your losses through a personal injury lawsuit.