Doctors May Have Dropped Lemtrada Over Covid-19 Fears

Lemtrada Stroke Lawsuit News

Multiple sclerosis doctors may have stopped prescribing Lemtrada because they feared patients might die from Covid-19

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 - Last week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that over 90% of the deaths from Covid-19 occurred because the patient had another deadly underlying condition. The data implies that doctors may have had an overreaction to the virus and that the lockdowns that have disrupted life have been generally unnecessary. The overwhelming change that people have made because of fear of contracting the virus is to visit their doctors less often, delay checkups, and postpone elective surgery. The over-reaction to Covid-19 has been impactful in the field of neuroscience also, and on prescribing disease-modifying therapies. Disease-modifying therapy is essential for patients that suffer from relapse remitting multiple sclerosis to help them manage their symptoms and lead a more normal life. Lemtrada lawsuit attorneys are representing American families and individuals nationwide and offer a no obligation, free consultation before filing a lawsuit claim.

Covid-19 fears have had an impact on the way physicians think about the drugs they prescribe to their late-stage RRMS patients. Doctors are leaning more towards milder drugs and avoiding starting treatment with advanced-stage drugs like Lemtrada. According to PR Newswire.com, " 50 Canadian neurologists surveyed between April 6th and May 2nd, found that 90% of respondents indicate the novel coronavirus outbreak has had a high impact on their practice. ... new data suggest a potentially transient reversion to more conservative disease-modifying therapy (DMT) treatment patterns." Also, dangerous drugs like Lemtrada have been rejected in favor of ones with lesser-known side effects. "Neurologists express a hesitation to prescribe or re-dose patients with immunosuppressive DMTs, namely Roche's Ocrevus, Sanofi Genzyme's Lemtrada, and EMD Serono's Mavenclad, due to increased risk of complications or death among MS patients infected with the novel coronavirus," according to the publication.

Lemtrada is given to patients in two, four-day, two-week stages, one year apart. Some Lemtrada patients have suffered a stroke or heart attack while undergoing treatment or within 72 hours. Lemtrada is taken only as a last resort when all alternatives have been tried and failed. Lemtrada's warning label has been modified several times to reflect life-threatening infusion reactions. According to the label, "immune-mediated conditions, including autoimmune hepatitis (with damage to the liver) and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (overactivation of the immune system which may affect different parts of the body); problems with the heart and blood vessels occurring within 1-3 days of receiving the medicine, including bleeding in the lungs, heart attack, stroke, cervicocephalic arterial dissection (tears in the lining of the arteries in the head and neck); severe neutropenia (low levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infections)."

Doctors infusing a patient must do so in a hospital with an available emergency room staff to lessen the chances of patient death. Lemtrada patients must complete and sign a lengthy questionnaire that proves they are aware of Lemtrada's life-threatening side effects. Late-stage Lemtrada patients are willing to take the risks and report doing very well when the treatment is effective in delaying and mitigating the symptoms of RRMS.

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OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.