Serzone

Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

Serzone

Serzone is a medication that was manufactured by the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company to treat depression. It is used as an antidepressant by balancing some of the natural chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and norepinephrine. The FDA approved the use of Serzone to fight depression in 1994.

Some of the initial side effects of using Serzone were lightheadedness, dry mouth, nausea, blurry vision, rashes on the skin and fatigue. But it wasn't long before this drug started to show signs of more serious side effects. In December of 2001, Bristol-Meyers was ordered by the FDA to add a black box warning to the Serzone labels.

The warning on the label stated that the side effects of using Serzone included "cases of life- threatening hepatic failure." The warning continues," This represents a rate of about 3-4 times the estimated background rate of liver failure. This rate is an underestimate because of under reporting, and the true risk could be considerably greater than this.The Bristol-Meyers company removed Serzone from the European markets when it was revealed that the drug was responsible for 25 reports of liver failure and 18 deaths.

There have been no signs of testing the effects of Serzone on children and as a result it was prescribed for kids up to 18 years of age. Besides the usual side effects, many children suffered from liver failure, jaundice and hepatitis after taking the antidepressant. Some even had to undergo liver transplants just to live.

In 2003 it was found that Serzone was linked to the development of rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of the skeletal muscle tissue. This breakdown releases harmful proteins into the bloodstream and can result in kidney failure. With the increased reports of liver failure tied to the use of Serzone, the antidepressant was taken off the market in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. By June 2004, Bristol Myers Squibb took Serzone off the market in the United States. By then the FDA had received 55 cases of liver failure with 20 of them resulting in death, as well as 39 cases of other forms of non-life threatening liver disease.

There are efforts in place by citizens who have protested the sale of Serzone as well as the generic forms available. If you, someone in your family or anyone you know used the antidepressant Serzone and suffered any serious side effects, including liver damage, please contact the attorneys here at Napoli Bern Ripka Law Firm. You may be eligible for compensation through any number of class action suits against the makers of these drugs.

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