Boston – Health care company Johnson & Johnson has been told to pay a Massachusetts teenager and her parents $63 million after she suffered a life-threatening drug reaction and lost most of her skin when she took a children’s pain reliever nearly a decade ago.
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A Plymouth Superior Court jury Wednesday decided Johnson & Johnson and its McNeil Laboratories subsidiary should pay Samantha Reckis and her parents a total of $109 million, including interest.
Family attorney Brad Henry says Samantha was 7 when she was given Motrin brand ibuprofen. She suffered a rare side effect known as toxic epidermal necrolysis and lost 90 percent of her skin and was blinded.
A spokeswoman for New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. says the girl’s family has suffered a tragedy but the company disagrees with the verdict and is “considering additional legal options.”
not the company’s fault. it’s a rare reaction. what should they do? take motrin off the market?
Only in America
Not that anyone reads them, but was this side effect listed in the warnings that accompany the product?
And if it was listed, and this was the award, how much more would the award have been had there been no warning.
There is not enough facts and information here on which to have an intelligent discussion.
Read the details, blinded sounds like life changing. This is a child that had sight and lost it due to a side effect of a drug that could have been avoided. The level of damages is sometimes compared to the benefitss. This was a painkiller, anti inflamatory and anti fever. had the family known what might happen they had alternatives.
It was brought as a failure to warn case. So it seems the warning for TENS a severe form of a horrible adverse stevens johnson syndrome.was not listed in the warnings. the patient in question took childrens motrin a NSAID before with no adverse effect.Adverse effects can happen anytime with a drug ,even with prior success.This case will most likely be settled ,as the company will appeal for a lessor verdict. Did her doctor warn her about the side effects of the drug before she took it.
elephant adverse reactions happen in other countries besides the USA also.
The company should warn on its product label.Instead of having commercials with people dancing . Have commercials warning people.
Ahem if I may: as a medical professional (doctor), I am shocked that such a verdict happened. I was at the top of my class for physiology and pharmacology. I edited a medication review book. After all that, I never warn any patients that ibuprofen is known to cause TENS. TENS can theoretically happen from any drug, but only a few are common enough for anyone to make note of it before giving it to patients. It is so exceedingly rare from ibuprofen, that heinz may as well put a warning about TENS on their ketchup bottles too if you know what I mean.
All I’m saying is that a drug company should not be vilified for an exceedingly rare drug reaction (that could have also happened from advil brand or generic ibuprofen too.)
wannashmooze dont know what u mean. Ketchup is not a known cause of TENS. Certain drugs are more likely to cause TENS including NSAIDS. Advil and the generic should have the warning too. Though lawsuits against generic manufactuers are not brought due to immunity. maybe u should tell ur patients about the horrible though rare side effects and let them make their own risk- benefit decision.some may choose to live with their aches rather than risk .