Lilly, O'Toole & Brown Blog

Three Deaths Caused by Raptiva

If you are taking or have taken Raptiva, you need to contact your physician immediately.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public health advisory regarding this drug that is used to treat psoriasis.

There have been three confirmed and one possible report of patients who have developed a serious brain infection, known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).  Three of those patients have died and according to the FDA, all four patients were treated with Raptiva for more than three years.

PML is a rare infection that affects the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord.  This viral infection is more prevalent in patients who have weak immune systems.  It is deadly and leads to irreversible brain damage and inflammation of the white matter of the brain.

Raptiva is used to treat psoriasis, a chronic condition that affects the skin and joints.  This drug is prescribed as a once-weekly injection for adults with moderate to severe cases of psoriasis.  Raptiva treats psoriasis by suppressing T-cells in the immune system, which are blood cells that fight off infection.  These T-cells are suppressed to help prevent inflammation by psoriasis.  For the three patients that died from taking Raptiva, this medication could have impacted their immune systems, making them more susceptible to serious infections, such as PML.

Contact the Florida defective drug attorneys at the Law Offices of Lilly, O-Toole & Brown at (863) 683-1111, if you have taken Raptiva.

The article, “Raptiva Can Cause Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML),” has more information on this topic. 

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