This is from a press release from a law firm here in Portland:
Widely Prescribed Heartburn Medication Linked to 100 Deaths
Portland, Oregon, September11, 2000 - The drug that was touted by its
manufacturer as a cure to heartburn has been associated with hundreds of
cases of heart arrhythmia and sudden heart attacks. Over 100 acid reflux
sufferers have died after taking the heartburn drug, Propulsid.
³The real tragedy of Propulsid,² according to Williams, Dailey & O¹Leary
attorney Michael Williams, ³is that it was widely prescribed to infants to
control acid reflux that is not uncommon in newborns.² In at least one
case, the death of a three-month-old was originally attributed to sudden
infant death syndrome but later changed to a sudden cardiac arrhythmia
caused by Propulsid.
Widely marketed as providing relief for acid reflux (the drug generated
over $950 million in sales in 1999 alone), Propulsid has now been all but
recalled by its manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceutica. It remains available
only though an investigational, limited-access program to heavily screened
participants.
Propulsid has been on the market since 1993 and it is unknown just how many
have suffered damage to their hearts from its use. The FDA confirmed that
as of
December 31, 1999, 80 deaths and 341 heart rhythm abnormalities have been
associated with Propulsid; 23 more died in the first 3 months of 2000.
According to Williams, it is not unusual for the actual number of affected
persons to be much higher as the FDA relies on voluntary reporting of drug
side effects.
For those that believe they may have suffered a complication after taking
Propulsid, and for those that have seen a loved one die after using this
heartburn medication, time may be of the essence to seek redress. ³All
states have a time frame, called a statute of limitations, in which a claim
must be filed,² states Williams, ³If the damage was done five, six, or
eight years ago, time may be running out to hold the manufacturer
accountable.²
Persons wishing to gain more information about Propulsid and its
side-effects can call 1-800-769-7443
--
I hope that no one here has had to experience these side effects of the
drug, but I thought that the information should be shared. Is Propulsid
still used at all? Has another one taken its place?
Katherine Woods-Eliot, student, breastfeeding counselor, birth educator
-- parent to Torin (4/24/95) and Paxton (4/30/98) --
-- both born at home and breastfeeding together --
Interested in radical parenting theories?
http://www.continuum-concept.org
http://www.tcs.ac (Taking Children Seriously)
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