Johnson & Johnson is back in the legal hot seat, following allegations that the company failed to properly warn two New Jersey men that the antibiotic, Levaquin, could potentially cause tendon damage. The two men are now stating their case against J&J in a New Jersey state court, claiming that they each endured serious Achilles-tendon injuries, following their use of Levaquin.
The drug’s maker, J&J, is countering the allegations by stating that the company repeatedly warned doctors and patients of the reports linking tendon ruptures to the use Levaquin and has been doing so ever since 1996, when the drug was first approved for use in the United States.
The case in Atlantic City is the third of its kind to go to trial against J&J regarding Levaquin-based tendon injuries. According to legal filings, Johnson & Johnson now faces more than 2,600 claims in U.S. courts over the drug. Levaquin has generated over $1 billion in sales since 2000, making it J&J’s third largest selling product. In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked that all companies manufacturing antibiotics in the same class as Levaquin to update their product warning labels and more adequately communicate the warnings about tendon ruptures.