Lemtrada is a drug that is approved for patients suffering from relapsing multiple sclerosis but can have serious and often deadly side effects.

Lemtrada Stroke Lawsuit News

Doctors administering Lemtrada need to take special precautions

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning in 2018 to patients taking Lemtrada multiple sclerosis (MS) medication of the risk of suffering a stroke. MS patients are reporting suffering from arterial dissection leading to stroke within 24 hours after taking a Lemtrada infusion. Lemtrada is the brand name for the drug Alemtuzumab. The warning was in response to complaints made to the Federal Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The FDA forced Sanofi, maker of Lemtrada to update their package warning label to reflect the stroke risk. Lemtrada carries the most serious black box warning reserved for drugs that can cause serious injuries and sudden death in and of themselves. The FDA warns that Lemtrada can cause "arterial dissection and ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke." Lemtrada patients that have suffered a stroke should consult a Lemtrada stroke attorney to see if they qualify to file a claim against Lemtrada's manufacturer for reimbursement of medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and all other related expenses.

A cerebral arterial dissection is a tear in the lining of an artery such as those in the head and neck that carry blood to the brain. A coronary arterial dissection is a tear in the lining of the arteries leading to the heart. Both cerebral and coronary arterial dissection can lead to strokes and heart attacks respectively. Arterial dissection is usually a result of a genetic disease but can also occur due to extremely high blood pressure. Lemtrada has been linked to thirteen cases of arterial dissection since its inception in 2014, including one fatality. Other warnings listed on the Lemtrada black box include "serious, sometimes fatal autoimmune conditions, serious and life-threatening infusion reactions, and an increased risk of malignancies including thyroid cancer, melanoma, and lymphoproliferative disorders." When tears occur in the lining of the artery, blood no longer flows smoothly over the artery's inner surface and instead, fatty blood platelets accumulate on the walls. Eventually, a blood clot will break free and can become stuck in the smaller veins causing a blockage resulting in a paralyzing stroke or sudden death from heart attack. Arterial dissection was reported occurring within 24-hours of receiving a Lemtrada infusion in 12 of the 13 FDA patients and within 72-hours in the other. Blood cells start to die within the brain in minutes after being cut off from oxygen.

Doctors treating multiple sclerosis patients are urged according to the FDA to closely monitor them for at least the first 24-hours post-Lemtrada infusion and watch for the early warning signs of a stroke. Such signs include "numbness in the hands, fingers, and feet, mental fog, slurred speech, double vision, balance issues and dizziness, and severe headaches. Doctors should be alerted if they see any of these symptoms in their Lemtrada MS patients during and after administering the drug.

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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.