Practice Areas
- Auto, Truck & Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Personal Injury
- Wrongful Death
- Nursing Home Neglect / Abuse
- Product Liability
- Insurance Disputes
- Hurricane Insurance Claim
- Sinkhole Claims
- Commercial Litigation
- Defective Medical Devices
- Asbestos/Mesothelioma
Blog 
Defective Medical Devices
- Injuries Reported Among Users of Johnson & Johnson Cordis Balloon Catheters
- Taking Avandia May Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack & Death
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease May Be Caused By Accutane
- Denture Cream Linked to Zinc Poisoning
- OB Tape Vaginal Slings Liked to Permanent Injuries
Claims Involving Children
Raptiva Can Cause Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)
A public health advisory was recently issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the psoriasis drug, Raptiva. This health advisory follows three confirmed and one possible report of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which is a rare brain infection. According to the FDA, three of those patients have died and all four patients were treated with Raptiva for more than three years.
PML results from a virus that affects the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord. This potentially fatal disease typically occurs in patients who have weak immune systems. PML is deadly, as it leads to an irreversible decline in neurological function and damages or inflames the white matter of the brain. Symptoms of PML include the following:
• Weakness
• Loss of Coordination
• Vision Changes
• Personality Changes
• Difficulty Speaking
Raptiva is a drug used to treat psoriasis, which is “a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease which affects the skin and joints. It commonly causes red scaly patches to appear on the skin.” There are various treatments available for psoriasis, besides Raptiva, which include the drugs cyclosporine, acitretin and methotrexate. Other treatments include approved biologic agents and ultraviolet therapy.
In October 2008, Raptiva’s labeling was revised to include a boxed warning of the risks of life-threatening infections, including PML. During that same time, the FDA instructed Genentech, the drug manufacturer, to create a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, which would be included in a medication guide designed to educate patients about Raptiva’s risks.
Raptiva is prescribed as a once-a-week injection that is approved for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. These patients had to be candidates for systematic therapy or phototherapy. Raptiva suppresses T-cells in the immune system, which are blood cells that help fight off infection. By suppressing the T-cells, inflammation caused by psoriasis should go down. However, when T-cells are suppressed, the chances of a patient developing an infection increases.
If you have taken Raptiva, you need to be carefully monitored by your physician for any signs of neurological disease, including PML. Contact the experienced Florida mass tort attorneys at the Law Offices of Lilly, O'Toole & Brown, LLP at (863) 683-1111 to review your case for free.
The FDA is currently working to ensure that the risks of Raptiva do not outweigh its benefits and that patients who have taken Raptiva are thoroughly informed of the symptoms of PML. In addition the FDA is taking steps to make sure that health care providers are carefully monitoring patients who have been prescribed Raptiva, in order to identify the development of PML.
Lilly, O'Toole & Brown, LLP
Lakeland Office: (863) 683-1111
Bartow Office: (863) 533-5525
Sebring Office: (863) 471-0003
Lake Wales Office: (863) 676-1991
Haines City Office: (863) 422-1282
Wauchula Office: (863) 767-1111
Winter Haven Office (863) 294-8100
Also providing legal assistance to clients from:
Wauchula, Lake Placid, Avon Park, Plant City, Brandon, and Valrico, Florida.
Verdicts / Settlements
Appellate Decisions
Press Releases
Lakeland Office
800 S. Florida Ave.
Lakeland, FL 33801
Phone: (863) 683-1111
Fax: (863) 683-0915
Get Directions
Sebring Office
2154 Lakeview Drive
Sebring, FL 33870
Phone: (863) 471-0003
Fax: (863) 471-2034
Get Directions
Bartow Office
310 E. Main Street
Bartow, FL 33830
Phone: (863) 533-5525
Fax: (863) 533-0505
Get Directions
Lake Wales Office
815 S.R. 60 East
Lake Wales, FL 33853
Phone: (863) 676-1991
Fax: (863) 676-3873
Get Directions
Winter Haven
70 Fourth Street N.W.
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Phone: (863) 294-8100
Get Directions
