Levaquin, or levofloxacin, is a powerful antibiotic used to treat lung, skin and urinary tract infections caused by bacteria. In 2008, the FDA required the drug's maker to place new warnings on the product after it was associated with severe tendon damage and other injuries.

If you believe that you or a loved one has been injured as a result of taking Levaquin, please contact the experienced pharmaceutical lawyers at Brown & Crouppen by calling 1-866-991-4700. The pharmaceutical liability attorneys at Brown & Crouppen can help you make informed decisions about your legal rights.

Commonly prescribed to treat a wide variety of infections, Levaquin is in a class of drugs known as fluoroquinolone antibiotics. In the first 10 years that Levaquin was approved for use, beginning in 1997, the Food and Drug Administration received 407 reports of tendon rupture and 341 reports of tendonitis in patients using this type of medicine.

In 2008, at the urging of concerned doctors and public interest groups, the FDA began requiring Levaquin’s manufacturuer, Johnson and Johnson subsidiary Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., to label the drug with the government’s most urgent “black box” safety warning. Ortho-McNeil was also ordered to develop literature that warns patients of the dangers of taking Levaquin.

According to federal drug safety officials, “Fluoroquinolones, including Levaquin, are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture in all ages.” Further, the FDA warned that injuries from Levaquin can require extensive surgery.

Levaquin injuries most commonly occur in the Achilles tendon, at the back of the foot. But tendon injuries from Levaquin have also been reported in the rotator cuff, biceps, hand and thumb. Most tendon injures resulting from Levaquin occur during or soon after treatment. However federal drug officials have noted cases where related injures developed long after a patient discontinued Levaquin treatment.

The FDA notes that injuries from Levaquin can be very serious, requiring hospitalization and prolonged and expensive medical attention. While recovering from an injury or medical procedure, you or a loved one could be unable to work and face the prospect of lost income. Because the drug can produce permanent disability, your loss of income could also be permanent.

Fortunately, it may be possible for you or a loved one to collect financial compensation if it can be established that an injury resulted from the use of Levaquin. But you will need a skilled and dedicated legal team with experience in pharmaceutical litigation. Drug companies are very powerful and will provide their own talented attorneys to defend their products.

That’s why contacting the pharmaceutical lawyers at Brown & Crouppen is essential to protecting your legal rights. Time may be running out. Contact us today for a free legal consultation. Call us toll-free at 1-866-991-4700 or use our convenient online contact form.