Childers, Schlueter & Smith represents a client who has brought action against the maker of Tepezza, Horizon Therapeutics USA, Inc., for the drug’s connection with her permanent hearing loss. This is the first Tepezza-related lawsuit filed in the state of Georgia.
The negligent party knew or should have known that even when used as prescribed or intended, Tepezza can cause hearing damage like tinnitus or even total deafness. The defendant failed to warn or inform Tepezza users, prescribers, or United States government regulators about the risk of hearing loss or need for audiological monitoring. Thus, our client suffered this hearing loss as a direct result of her use of Tepezza.
Horizon Therapeutics USA, Inc. manufactures, promotes, and sells Tepezza as a prescription drug to treat thyroid eye disease (TED), and it was approved by the FDA in 2020. TED damages the tissue surrounding the eye leading to progressive swelling, inflammation, and tissue changes which can cause pain, double vision, and watery eyes. The drug works to treat the disease at the source to decrease inflammation, prevent tissue expansion behind the eye, and prevent muscle and fat tissue remodeling. The drug also helped patients by showing significant improvement in double vision, proptosis, soft tissue, and overall quality of life. It is a drug that is administered as an infusion treatment intravenously.
However, physicians and others were given no warning, nor had the knowledge about the serious risk of permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus Tepezza posed as there was no adequate label on the drug indicating the danger. The negligence goes even further, as there was also no further testing of the drug for any adverse effects or surveillance of the effects to ensure Tepezza is not causing irreparable damage. The defendant’s senseless behavior has led to hundreds, potentially thousands, of individuals, including the plaintiff in our case, to develop severe hearing loss.
The defendant had a duty to provide adequate warnings and instructions to users of the drug and failed to do so. Instead, they continued to sell a dangerous drug that was not properly tested.
Our client has suffered through various injuries and physical pain, emotional distress, and a multitude of medical expenses due to this hearing loss. Due to the damages suffered by the plaintiff, she demanded judgment against the defendant and requests compensatory damages, statutory damages, and punitive damages via a trial by jury.
As the first Tepezza-related claim in the state gets underway, there is still much to learn about this defect, and likely many more people who were harmed because of it. The experienced dangerous drug lawyers at Childers, Schlueter & Smith can talk to you about your situation during a private consultation and advise on whether you might have a valid claim for compensation.
