Tepezza

The medication Tepezza (teprotumumab), prescribed as a treatment for thyroid eye disease, which is also known as Graves’ eye disease, has been linked to permanent hearing loss. One man who received Tepezza infusions for his thyroid eye disease from June – September 2020 and was diagnosed with permanent hearing loss has sued Horizon Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Tepezza. In fact, more than a dozen cases have been filed against Horizon in connection with Tepezza. If you developed permanent hearing loss and took Tepezza, you should talk to our seasoned Chicago-based product liability lawyers at Moll Law Group. Billions have been recovered in cases with which we’ve been involved.

Thyroid eye disease is a progressive autoimmune disease that threatens patients’ vision. It is linked to hyperthyroidism. Symptoms can stop your eyelids from closing and cause double vision, pain, and bulging eyes. Tepezza is supposed to help lessen these symptoms.

While taking Tepezza, the plaintiff in the lawsuit against Horizon received no warnings about the risk of suffering tinnitus or hearing damage. His lawsuit alleged that Horizon Pharmaceuticals filed to warn patients and doctors about the risk of developing permanent hearing problems as a result of the medication. The lawsuit also alleges that Horizon failed to suggest patients go through regular audiological monitoring while using the prescription drug even though studies showed a clear link between the medication and hearing damage.

The drug was approved shortly before the plaintiff tried it in January 2020. However, in that short period of time it was linked to many hearing loss reports. The warning label of the drug has warned that about 10% of patients could develop hearing loss based on the manufacturer’s study comparing patients taking the drug with those taking a placebo. However, it is now believed that the problems with the drug are more serious. The Endocrine Society has reported that 65% of Tepezza patients have told them that they suffered hearing problems.

The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. As a patient who uses Tepezza, you could be at risk of experiencing permanent, debilitating harm.

If you are injured as the result of using a dangerous drug and you were not warned appropriately of the risks, our attorneys may be able to pursue damages on your behalf in a product liability lawsuit. These lawsuits may be brought when a drug is defective in terms of its design, manufacturing or marketing. Marketing defects often involve failure to warn. It is believed that Horizon may have inadequately tested the product to make sure it was safe for patients and that it also failed to provide warnings about the risk of permanent hearing loss from taking the drug.

Horizon may be held accountable for design and marketing defects under theories of negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty, and breach of contract.

Under the learned intermediary doctrine, drug manufacturers are supposed to provide warnings to doctors who prescribe a medication, not the patients of risks associated with their drugs. Each doctor faces responsibility to provide the appropriate warnings to patients. In order to pursue damages, our lawyers will need to allege that the manufacturer in question didn’t adequately warn your doctor of relevant risks and failure to provide those warnings caused your injuries; we will need to show that if adequate warning had been provided your hearing loss would have been avoided because either you would have refused the drug or that the doctor would have provided a different treatment.

In some cases, it may be appropriate to investigate whether there is also a medical malpractice claim.

As a patient, you trust that you will be adequately warned of any problems with a medication you are prescribed. If you were harmed by Tepezza, you should call the seasoned Chicago-based product liability attorneys of Moll Law Group about whether you have grounds to sue. Give us a call at 312.462.1700 or via our online form if you suspect you may have a claim.