In August 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning for several arthritis and inflammatory drugs, including Humira, Remicade, Simponi and Enbrel. The black box warning – the sternest required by the FDA – follows reports linking the arthritis and inflammatory drugs to an increased risk of cancer in children and adolescents.
Prescribed to children to treat rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorder or Crohn’s disease, the drugs neutralize a protein that causes inflammation and tissue damage.
The FDA discovered that children who take the medications for two and a half years or longer are at a heightened risk of developing cancer. Of the several dozen reports of cancer in children taking one of the four medications, more than half developed lymphomas, a type of cancer that affects the immune system.
The drugs are some of the best-selling products of Abbott Laboratories, Amgen Incorporated, Wyeth, and Johnson and Johnson, earning their respective companies billions of dollars in revenue. In 2008 alone, Enbrel sales totaled $3.4 billion.
Parents of children who are taking Humira, Remicade, Simponi or Enbrel and develop cancer may be eligible to file a defective drug case against the drugs’ manufacturers.
The skilled attorneys of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz are there for victims during these hard times to help them fight against defective drug manufacturers that have cost families financial burdens and emotional distress. Contact AWKO Law today to review your case.