St. John's Wort & Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Lawsuit

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Over the last several years, there have been a large amount of agents linked to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in individuals across the nation. Several diet drugs have been linked to the development of the condition along with other medications and some herbal remedies. One of these herbal medications that have been associated with the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension is St. John’s Wort.

St. John’s Wort is the common name of a flowering herb that grows in temperate zones across the world. These herbs have been used throughout history to treat a wide variety of ailments, including nerve pain, mental conditions, and as a salve for burns, insect bites, and other wounds. Today, the herb is commonly used as a sedative, for treatment of depression, and to reduce anxiety.

There are several different ways for a person to take St. John’s Wort, which is typically introduced to the body through ingestion. Some individuals use the flowering tops of the plant to make a tea that is infused with the healthful elements of the plant. Others choose to ingest the herb by swallowing pills containing a concentrated extract of the herb that is believed to contain all of benefits that the plant is known for.

Aside from its link to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension, St. John’s Wort has been found to interfere with the way the body breaks down medications, affecting the effectiveness of many medications used to treat serious ailments. Some of the drugs affected include those that are used to treat cancer, those that are used to control HIV infection, those that prevent the body from rejecting transplanted organs, and those that strengthen the contraction of the heart muscles. In addition, St. John’s Wort can interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills, anticoagulants, and antidepressants.

The association between St. John’s Wort and the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension is worrying to experts because of the number of individuals around the world that use the herb for a wide variety of reasons. There is no cure available for pulmonary arterial hypertension and the condition is considered life-threatening. The average survival time for individuals that develop the condition is three years after the diagnosis is made.

Most cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension are not diagnosed until the condition is in the later stages of the disease and complications have begun to appear. The appearance of the symptoms of the condition can take up to ten years to appear, even if the patient has stopped their exposure to the known culprits associated with the development of the condition. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 people across the nation have developed pulmonary arterial hypertension, yet only one-fourth of those individuals are aware that they have developed the condition.

Do I have an St. John's Wort or Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Lawsuit?

The Defective Drug Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus exclusively on the representation of plaintiffs in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (IPAH) lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new Ephedra cases in all 50 states.

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