Chantix | Serious Side Effects Lawyers
Missouri • Kansas • Southern Illinois
Chantix (varenicline) is a popular smoking cessation drug manufactured by the Pfizer company. Chantix carries very serious risks[1]. These risks include:
Suicide and Depression
Beginning in July of 2009, the Food and Drug Administration required Pfizer to include a "Black Box" warning on the Chantix label. The FDA noted that patients who took Chantix had reported higher rates of suicide and depression.
Despite the new warning, the FDA has received more Chantix-related reports of clinical depression, suicide, suicidal-ideation, hostility-aggression and psychosis than any other medication[2]. And it now appears that Pfizer did not inform the FDA of 150 completed suicides until July of 2010-one full year after the FDA has issued its "black box" warning. Some of the suicides dated back to 2007, meaning the FDA did not have that information when it was studying the safety prior to the 2009 label changes.
The FDA is not the only federal agency with concerns over the safety of Chantix. Other agencies which have banned or limited its use include:
- The Federal Aviation Agency
- The Department of Transportation
- The Department of Defense
Heart attack
Chantix has also been linked to an increased risk for heart attack. The FDA looked at a study of 700 patients which showed that people who took Chantix may be at a higher risk for heart attack and other heart problems than patients who took a placebo. In June of 2011, the FDA announced that it was requiring a warning about adverse heart events to be included in the "black box" warning for Chantix.
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a rare, extremely serious disorder caused by a body's allergic reaction to drugs or medicines. It begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a painful red or purplish rash that spreads and blisters. Eventually, the skin tissue dies and peels off the patient, leading to seeping, burn-like areas on the body. The symptoms of SJS can be nothing short of horrifying. Complications include:
- Blindness
- Pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs)
- Myocarditis (inflammation of the muscles in the heart)
- Hepatitis
- Hematuria (blood in the urine)
- Kidney failure
- Sepsis (blood infection)
- Death
Please consult your physician before discontinuing any medication.
Kansas City Smoking Cessation Drug Lawyers
The lawyers at Brown & Crouppen are committed to the needs of their clients and their families. That is why we stay on top of emerging information on dangerous drugs. We provide tough, aggressive representation for families who have suffered from the side effects of Chantix. Call Brown & Crouppen toll-free: 888-842-7944 for your free legal consultation, or save time with our online contact form.
[1]http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm106540.htm
