Kline & Specter, PC, represents victims in lawsuits over problem pharmaceuticals such as Cylert.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised doctors against prescribing Cylert or the generic equivalent pemoline because the attention deficit medication has been associated with liver damage and death.
"The agency has concluded that the overall risk of liver toxicity from Cylert and generic pemoline products outweighs the benefits of this drug," the agency said in an October 2005 Alert to Healthcare Professionals.
The FDA advised doctors who prescribe Cylert or pemoline to transition patients to alternative therapies. Abbott Laboratories halted sales and marketing of Cylert in the United States in May 2005, but the FDA noted Cylert was still available through pharmacies and wholesalers while supplies remained. Generics could also remain available.
The FDA said it was aware of 13 reports of liver failure resulting in the necessity of transplants or death and that the rate of Cylert/pemoline-related liver failure was 10 to 25 times greater than that of people who did not use the medication.
Contact a Cylert injury attorney if you or someone you know has suffered illness or death as a result of using Cylert or pemoline.
Public Citizen, a national consumer group on March 24, 2005 had petitioned the FDA to ban the sale of the hyperactivity drug. On the same day, Abbott Laboratories said it would soon halt sales of Cylert, but the manufacturer cited declining sales – not side effects – for its decision.
Public Citizen said at least 193 patients suffered serious consequences and at least 13 reportedly died from taking Cylert since it was introduced in 1975 to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
While Cylert sales have dwindled to less than $1 million annually, much of the revenue from the drug has been picked up by sales of pemoline. Public Citizen had petitioned for the removal of both versions, for which it said 117,000 prescriptions were written last year.
The consumer group also has contended that the drug, which works by stimulating the central nervous system, has outlived its usefulness, that newer drugs work just as well to treat ADHD and without the harmful side effects.
Kline & Specter, PC, with more than experienced attorneys, several of whom are also highly regarded doctors, is one of the nation's leading law firms with the ability to litigate pharmaceutical drug lawsuits.
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