Atripla® is an anti-HIV drug that contains tenofovir (TDF), an older high-dose medication that has been linked to serious bone injuries, tooth decay, and kidney damage.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Atripla induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with kidney disease, dental problems, or bone density loss after taking Atripla, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
HIV Drug Lawsuits
Lawsuits claim that Gilead knew about the risk of serious side effects from tenofovir-based HIV drugs as early as 2001. The next year, Gilead developed and tested a new formula that achieved the same clinical results with a lower dose. The new formula was not linked to the same risk of kidney, tooth, and bone injuries as the higher-dose versions.
What is Atripla?
Atripla is a combination of 3 anti-HIV medications in one pill — efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). These ingredients work together to block the HIV virus from replicating, which can reduce the amount of HIV virus in the body.
Kidney Injuries Linked to Atripla
- Chronic kidney disease
- Declining kidney function
- Acute kidney injury
- Acute renal failure
- Fanconi syndrome
- Kidney failure
Bone Injuries Linked to Atripla
- Osteoporosis
- Decreased bone mineral density
- Osteopenia
- Bone fractures
- Dental problems
- Tooth decay
- Tooth loss
HIV Drug Lawsuit Filed in California
In May 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that 2 men filed a lawsuit against Gilead after they were harmed by Gilead’s toxic HIV medications when the drug-maker intentionally delayed development of a less-toxic HIV medication so that it could continue to profit off its monopoly.
Instead of continuing to develop the safer alternative, the lawsuit claims, the Foster City company decided to hide tenofovir’s risks while earning billions of dollars as it became one of the world’s most prescribed medicines for HIV.
What is the Problem?
The lawsuit says that HIV patients suffered from up to a decade of “additional accumulated kidney and bone toxicity” while using the drug as Gilead kept the safer version on a shelf in its laboratories.
Lawyers claim that Gilead knew that their HIV drugs had to be given in high doses to be effective, which meant they could damage the kidneys and bones. Yet the company failed to adequately warn patients or doctors about those side effects on the medicine’s label.
Gilead is now urging doctors to switch their patients to the new drugs to reduce possible harm to their kidneys, teeth, and bones.
Who Filed the Lawsuit?
The plaintiffs include Michael Lujano of Los Angeles. He took HIV drugs with the older tenofovir from 2004 to 2015. In 2016, he was diagnosed with bone loss and osteoporosis of the spine, neck and hip.
The other plaintiff is Jonathan C. Gary, a man from San Diego who took the drug for 10 years, beginning in 2001. In 2010, he was diagnosed with Fanconi syndrome, a rare kidney disorder. In 2017, he was diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis at age 59.
Do I have an Atripla Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Atripla induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with kidney disease, dental problems, or bone density loss after taking Atripla, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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