Levaquin Lawsuits

The popular antibiotic Levaquin was approved by the FDA in 1996. However, in July 2008 the FDA warned consumers that Levaquin (and other drugs in the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics) put users at a heightened risk for developing tendonitis and tendon ruptures. The FDA ordered the drug's manufacturer, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) to include a label warning about the heightened risk of tendonitis and tendon ruptures. The most serious type of tendon injury commonly associated with Levaquin is a ruptures achilles tendon, which typically requires surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Other types of related injuries are tendon ruptures of the rotator cuff, hand, biceps and thumb. Most of these injuries occur either shortly after completing the dose of Levaquin or within several months. There have already been numerous lawsuits filed across the U.S. The pending Levaquin lawsuits have recently received mass tort designation because there could potentially be thousands filed. The cases have  been consolidated in a MDL (Multi-District Litigation) because of the complex issues involved and the common issues of law and fact.