Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

FDA warns about psoriasis drug

 Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley concentrates on legal cases regarding defective products.  A recent Boston Globe article announced that the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency warned consumers that a drug psoriasis medicine called Raptiva was linked to four cases of a deadly brain infection.

 According to the article, there have been three confirmed cases and one possible case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopahy in patients taking Raptiva; three of those patients died. 

 The FDA issued a public health advisory concerning Raptiva because of the connection to the rare brain infection.  PML is caused by a virus that affects the central nervous system. PML usually occurs in people whose immune systems have been severely weakened. It leads to an irreversible decline in neurologic function and death. Symptoms may include unusual weakness, loss of coordination, changes in vision, difficulty speaking and personality changes. There is no known effective prevention or treatment.