Uloric Lawyer

Update: Drug Lawsuit Source is no longer accepting these cases. We regret we cannot assist you. You may want to contact a law firm in your area to see if they will accept your case.

Uloric is a medication prescribed for the management of chronic gout. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009, Uloric is a tablet taken orally that is designed to lower uric acid levels in the blood.

At the time, Uloric was the first new gout medication to be approved in 40 years. However, if you or someone you love has suffered adverse effects from this drug, you should contact an Uloric lawyer to see if you are eligible to pursue a claim for monetary damages.

What is Gout?

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in the United States. Approximately 8.3 million Americans have been diagnosed with the condition. It occurs generally in older males. The acid can form needle-like crystals in a joint and cause sudden, severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling.

Gout is a relatively common and painful condition that causes redness and swelling in joints, and generally affects:

• Big toes
• Joints of the feet
• Knees
• Fingers
• Elbows

There are several risk factors for developing gout, including:

• Age. Males between 40 and 50 years old, and post-menopausal women are more likely to develop gout.
• Gender. Statistics show men are more likely to develop the condition.
• Family history.
• Diet. Foods, like red meat, organ meat, and certain fish contain a lot of purines.
• Alcohol.
• Medications. Medications, including diuretics and cyclosporine increase the risk.
• Other health conditions. High blood pressure, kidney disease, thyroid disease, sleep apnea, and diabetes increase the likelihood of the condition.

Recently, dangerous drug lawsuits are being filed on behalf of men and women using Uloric with the help of dedicated lawyers. The lawsuits claim the manufacturer of the controversial drug, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, failed to warn users of the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

After reviewing data from a safety clinical trial, the FDA announced that Uloric is linked to an increased risk of heart-related deaths and deaths of all causes. As a result, the FDA now requires Uloric to feature a Black Box Warning. A black box warning is the highest level of warning the FDA can add to a medicine’s labeling information. It means the FDA believes there is reasonable evidence of a link between medication and the side effect.

The warning states gout patients with established cardiovascular disease treated with Uloric had a “higher rate of cardiovascular death compared to those treated with allopurinol in a cardiovascular outcomes study.” The label also warns physicians and prescribing doctors consider the risks and benefits of Uloric when deciding to prescribe or continue patients on Uloric.

According to the warning, Uloric should only be used in “patients who have an inadequate response to a maximally titrated dose of allopurinol, who are intolerant to allopurinol, or for whom treatment with allopurinol is not advisable.” As a result, the FDA has limited approved uses of the medication to patients who had poor or negative responses to allopurinol — another medication designed to treat gout.

At this time, the FDA is not recalling Uloric from the market, and gout patients with a history of cardiac issues or stroke should speak to their prescribing physicians about Uloric risks and its association with cardiac-related deaths.

Serious Side Effects Of Uloric

Uloric has been monitored by our dangerous drug lawsuit lawyers due to the associated risks of strokes, heart attacks, tachycardia, cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction and other acute cardiovascular injuries. Our attorneys are representing victims who have reported serious, drug-related side effects of Uloric, including:

• Cardiovascular death
• Non-fatal myocardial infarction
• Non-fatal stroke
• Unstable angina with urgent revascularization (restoration of blood flow)

In addition, medical professionals and FDA officials highly encourage gout patients who take Uloric to seek medical attention if they experience the following symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Trouble breathing
• Rapid heart rate
• Numbness or weakness on one side of the body
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Difficulty speaking
• Severe sudden headache

Do I Need a Uloric Attorney?

Our Uloric lawyers are helping individuals who have suffered cardiovascular problems while taking this drug for at least 30 days. Individuals may be eligible to file a Uloric lawsuit if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Use of Uloric medication as the first line of therapy between 2006 and Feb. 21, 2019.
• Diagnosed with one or more of the serious side effects mentioned above while on Uloric or within 30 days of discontinuation.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept cases from the following states: Texas, Michigan (due to pre-emption).

The class-action status of Uloric is undetermined. However, all signs point to a strong case against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and could be granted an MDL (Multi-District Litigation) status by the courts.

In 2012, a former safety employee of Takeda Pharmaceuticals made statements about the side effects of Uloric and — as a result — was granted a whistleblower lawsuit.