After hundreds of deaths were linked to the arthritis drug Actemra, experts are demanding warning labels about heart failure, pancreatitis, and other severe side effects.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Actemra induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with a severe side effect, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What is Actemra?
Actemra® (tocilizumab) is an injection medication made by Genentech/Roche for adults with arthritis. When it was approved in 2010, Actemra did not have warnings about major cardiovascular side effects, unlike other arthritis drugs.
Arthritis Linked to Side Effects Not on Label
In May 2017, an investigative report by STAT reviewed over 500,000 side-effect reports for a variety of arthritis drugs, including 13,500 for Actemra.
Investigators found 1,128 reports of Actemra patients who died — and many of them died of cardiovascular side effects that are not on the label for Actemra:
“[STAT] found clear evidence that the risks of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and other conditions were as high or higher for Actemra patients than for patients taking some competing drugs.”
Actemra vs. Enbrel
One of those competing drugs, Enbrel, has a warning label against prescribing it to patients with cardiovascular disease because it is known to cause or worsen heart problems. Yet in a head-to-head study, Actemra patients were 50% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than Enbrel patients.
Is Actemra the Next Vioxx?
Investigators with STAT news “found clear evidence” that the risk of heart attacks or strokes “were as high or higher for Actemra patients than for patients taking some competing drugs.” In its report, STAT compared Actemra to Vioxx, another arthritis drug that was pulled off the market after it was found to boost heart attack risks.
Pancreatitis & Lung Disease
Investigators also uncovered hundreds of reports of pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation) and interstitial lung disease — two side effects that were flagged by the FDA during multiple safety reviews. The investigators concluded that the “FDA should immediately consider warnings for heart failure and pancreatitis.”
What is the problem?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm, but our lawyers are not filing an Actemra class action lawsuit against Genentech/Roche. Instead, we are filing individual lawsuits for people who experienced severe side effects that are not on the label.
Actemra Side Effects
- Heart failure
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Pancreatitis
- Interstitial lung disease
- Death
About Class Actions
Class actions are a great way for large groups of people to seek compensation for buying a product that was falsely advertised, but they can have major disadvantages for people who were seriously injured by medication side effects.
Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action
Everyone in a class action lawsuit shares the payout, jury award, or settlement. This can be a big disadvantage for individual plaintiffs who have far more serious injuries than everyone else. Furthermore, members may have to accept high attorneys’ fees or a low settlement.
Instead of a class action, our lawyers are filing individual lawsuits. We focus on representing people who were injured by defective drugs. There is no excuse for failing to warn about dangerous side effects. If you were injured by Actemra, our lawyers may be able to help you seek compensation.
Do I have an Actemra Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Actemra induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with a severe side effect, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
