Side effects of the hepatitis C treatment Viekira Pak may include severe liver disease resulting in transplantation or death, according to a warning from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you had liver failure or required a liver transplant, or someone you know died after taking Viekira Pak, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit and our lawyers can help.
Viekira Side Effects May Include Liver Disease: FDA Warning
The FDA in October 2015 issued a Drug Safety Communication [1] announcing new label warnings for the hepatitis C treatments Viekira Pak and Technivie. According to the agency, side effects of the medications can cause serious liver injury, particularly in those patients who have underlying advanced liver disease.
“Our review of adverse events reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database and to the manufacturer of these medicines, AbbVie, identified cases of hepatic decompensation and liver failure in patients with underlying liver cirrhosis who were taking these medicines,” FDA said. “Some of these events resulted in liver transplantation or death.”
These injuries typically occurred within one to four weeks of starting treatment. In some cases, the patients were contraindicated and doctors prescribed the drugs despite existing warnings that use by patients with those conditions was not recommended.
What is Viekira Pak?
Viekira is an antiviral medication that contains dasabuvir, ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir. These drugs prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) from multiplying in the body. Viekira Pak is used to treat genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C in adults, including people with compensated cirrhosis.
Liver Disease Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Yellow eyes or skin (jaundice)
- Light-colored stools
Effects of Hepatitis C on the Body
Hepatitis C can cause scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). As the disease progresses, symptoms such as skin problems, blood disorders and fever may appear. In the long term, hepatitis C can lead to severe liver damage, liver cancer, and liver failure.
Related Article: Technivie Lawsuit (Risk of Liver Damage)
FDA Recommendation
If you take Viekira Pak and develop any of the above symptoms of liver disease, you should contact your doctor immediately. Do not stop taking Viekira Pak without consulting your physician, as doing so could result in drug resistance to other hepatitis C medications. Healthcare professionals should closely monitor for symptoms of worsening liver disease, such as ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, variceal hemorrhage and/or increases in direct bilirubin in the blood.
Viekira Pak Side Effects
- Liver disease
- Liver failure
- Hepatic decompensation
- Hepatic failure
- Allergic reactions
- Rash
- Anemia
- Thinning blood
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Itching
- Difficulty sleeping
Has Viekira Pak Been Recalled?
No recall for Viekira Pak has been issued in the U.S. However, the drug has only been on the market a short time, and it often takes years and many adverse event reports before an allegedly defective drug is recalled.
Is There a Class Action?
No class action lawsuit has yet been filed in the Viekira Pak litigation. However, if multiple lawsuits are filed alleging similar injuries, these complaints may be consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) for pretrial handling. MDLs are different from class actions, and it is generally agreed that consolidating cases instead of proceeding in a class action is a more efficient way of handling claims arising from injuries associated with pharmaceutical products.
Have There Been Any Settlements?
The first Viekira Pak lawsuits have only recently been filed, and the proceedings are still in their early stages. It will likely be several years before AbbVie considers settling some or all of the cases. However, our lawyers feel that the manufacturer will eventually be required to pay substantial settlement amounts as a result of its decision to place profits ahead of safety when failing to warn about the potential health risks of Viekira Pak.
Do I have a Viekira Pak Lawsuit?
The Pharmaceutical Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Viekira Pak lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new liver disease cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you had liver failure or required a liver transplant, or someone you know died after taking Viekira Pak, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.
