The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that many notable medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can increase the risk of potentially deadly cancer in children and teenagers.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can strike young people, causing them pain and suffering, stiffness and swelling in their joints.

Simponi is one of a few new arthritis drugs that has been linked to cause further injury in children with arthritis.

While these prescription drugs do ease many of the injuries rheumatoid arthritis patients endure, their potentiality to bring the onset of yet another injury makes them dangerous drugs.  For our firm’s experienced San Diego personal injury lawyer this new finding is disheartening and the dangerous drug makers should be held accountable for any injuries or wrongful deaths that occur as a result of their medications.

The FDA, which urged greater caution with these drugs, called TNF blockers, said an analysis of 48 reported cancer cases in children using the drugs “showed an increased risk of cancer, occurring after 30 months of treatment on average.”

The Anti-TNF drugs include:

  • Johnson’s Simponi or golimumab and its Remicade or infliximab
  • Abbott Laboratories’ Humira or adalimumab
  • UCB SA’s Cimzia or certolizumab pegol
  • Amgen Inc and Wyeth’s Enbrel or etanercept

While the drugs already carry the strongest warnings possible about the risk of possible injuries a new caution about cancer in younger patients will be added.

The FDA said in a statement on its website that its year-long analysis of the increased cancer risk in children showed about half the 48 cases involved lymphoma, which targets the immune system.  Furthermore the FDA said it had reviewed 147 reports of leukemia in adults and children using TNF blockers, including 30 wrongful deaths.  In order to prevent future injuries and wrongful deaths from occurring, the FDA and other inspectors of pharmaceuticals should put medications through stringent testing to ensure the safety of the products.

How many more people have to die in order for the either the drug maker to alter their medications or the FDA to take it off the market?

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Diego to find out how we may help you.  We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case in either English or Spanish.  No fee if No Recovery.