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Raptiva deaths have been reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency, the FDA's counterpart for the EU (European Union). The Raptiva deaths were apparently due to PML (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy), a devastating and rare brain infection.
PML attacks the covering of cells in the brain. Its site(s) within the brain cannot be predicted, and thus the symptoms of PML vary among individuals. However, as a progressive disease, PML keeps on destroying brain cells, resulting in paralysis, severe neurological damage and death. Currently, there is no known cure for PML.
San Francisco-based corporation Genentech, the maker of the Raptiva drug, acknowledged the Raptiva deaths when it announced its voluntary withdrawal of all the Raptiva distributed in the United States. More than $100 million dollars' worth of Raptiva was sold in 2008 in the U.S. alone, but this represents less than one percent of Genentech's sales.
PML is usually fatal. Caused by an opportunistic virus, PML used to be observed only in individuals with AIDS, HIV, or a severely weakened immune system due to immunosuppressive drugs after an organ transplant. Now, however, PML has been diagnosed in patients who don't fit those profiles at all — but they were treated with Raptiva for their plaque psoriasis, a troubling skin disorder that affects millions of people around the world.
In fact, there are other drugs linked to the development of PML:
In February 2009, the FDA issued a public advisory about Raptiva, noting that it had received reports of three confirmed diagnoses and one possible diagnosis of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy among patients treated with Raptiva. Of these four individuals, three had died at the time of the Advisory.
These Raptiva deaths form the core of the voluntary removal of Raptiva from the U.S. and European markets.
If your family member died after taking a Raptiva treatment, you might be eligible to receive monetary compensation for losses including funeral and burial costs, accumulated medical bills and emotional pain and suffering. For more information on how to file a Raptiva lawsuit, contact us. We will connect you with an experienced Raptiva attorney who will help you get your life back to normal.