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drug_recall permaxIn December 2002, researchers discovered a link between Permax (pergolide) and valvular heart disease. However, it wasn’t until almost a year later that the labeling on Permax was revised to include heart risks. By that time, nearly half a million Americans had been treated with the popular Parkinson’s drug.
What is Permax?
Permax is a drug used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). In 2006 alone, Permax was prescribed to 12,000 people in the United States.
Studies Reveal Permax Heart Risks
The Mayo Clinic proceedings in 2002 first highlighted the increased heart risks associated with Permax use. Further research only confirmed these initial findings. In March 2004, researchers at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center found a high rate of valvular heart disease in patients taking the drug. In fact, that study showed a two- to threefold increased risk of abnormal heart valves for Permax patients.
A month later, an abstract was published in the Lancet suggesting clinicians consider alternative treatments to Permax because of the drug’s heart risks. Then in January 2007, the New England Journal of Medicine published two studies again demonstrating the high risk of valvular heart damage in Permax patients. A doctor who wrote an article accompanying the studies called the incidence of heart damage “mind-blowing.”
Permax Recall
On March 29, 2007—years after Permax’s heart risks had been discovered—the Food and Drug Administration finally announced a recall. The drug had been on the market for nearly two decades (it was approved in 1989) prior to the recall, and been used by hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Permax has also been recalled in Canada. Health Canada, a government agency similar to the FDA, announced that Permax would no longer be available after August 30, 2007. The agency stated that the heart risks associated with Permax use outweigh any benefits.
Legal Help
If you took Permax and developed heart valve damage as a result, it is your right to take legal action. You may be entitled to damages including the cost of medical care, among other things.
To learn about your legal rights and options from an attorney experienced in pharmaceutical litigation, contact us today. We’ll put you in touch with an attorney who will evaluate your case and answer your questions free of charge.