Published:
Digitek Debacle - Actavis Totowa Accused of Producing Dangerously Defective Digitek Heart Pills in Lawsuit Filed by Cory Watson Crowder and DeGaris
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A Federal lawsuit filed in
Birmingham, Alabama July 18, 2008 charges pharmaceutical company Actavis
Totowa with manufacturing and distributing defective Digitek heart drug pills
that contained dangerously excessive doses of the drug's active ingredient,
digoxin, causing life-threatening adverse drug reactions. Digitek is typically
prescribed to treat irregular heartbeat or heart failure. The Federal suit,
filed in the wake of an FDA Digitek recall, alleges defective Digitek
contained amounts of digoxin exceeding the dose set forth on the label and in
some cases exceeding the dose approved for medical treatment in humans.
The litigation, brought by aTalladega woman and her husband, alleges
defective Digitek pills caused her to suffer digitalis toxicity, a sometimes
lethal reaction to an overdose of digoxin. The suit claims the victim's
adverse reaction included a drop in heart rate into the low 30's, blindness,
confusion and incoherent speech. The suit claims the woman was hospitalized
for more than one month and underwent surgery to implant an artificial heart
pacemaker to treat permanent heart damage believed to be caused by Digitek
overdose.
The victim's injury occurred only a few weeks prior to April 25, 2008 when
the FDA announced a nationwide recall of all Digitek tablets because of the
potential that the tablets were double the appropriate thickness and contained
up to twice the approved level of the active ingredient. The suit claims the
victim was prescribed Digitek and unwittingly ingested defective tablets that
contained harmfully high levels of the active ingredient.
The suit blames Actavis for failing to heed FDA warnings in July and
August of 2006 and February of 2007, that many of the drug products that were
produced, manufactured and released to the public by Actavis were adulterated
and as a result the drugs were not "the identity, strength, quality and purity
they purport to possess."
"What makes this so tragic is the Digitek debacle could have been
prevented had Actavis taken appropriate measures in response to the FDA
warnings," said Ryan Lutz, pharmaceutical litigation attorney with the law
firm Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris ofBirmingham, Alabama. Lutz and Rick
DiGiorgio of Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris are representing the victim.
The suit charges the drug maker knew or should have known about the
manufacturing and production defects and that the recalled Digitek was
adulterated, misbranded, defective, unreasonably dangerous and unfit for its
intended uses. "Despite the undeniable knowledge, Actavis placed tens of
thousands of patients, including our client, unnecessarily at risk of
catastrophic injury and death," said Lutz.
Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris is recognized nationally for its practice in
mass torts litigation, multidistrict litigation and complex litigation
including class actions, serious personal injuries, products liability,
business and securities litigation, environmental litigation, defective
medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
SOURCE Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris
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Copyright © 2009, NewsBlaze,
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