Are you or someone you know looking to file a Truvada Lawsuit? Do you need brief, concise and quick information on the essentials before filing the Lawsuit?
This article will assist you by providing you succinct and quick details you can use to your benefit before filing the lawsuit.
What Is the Truvada Drug – What Is It?
Made from the combination of the chemicals Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF), Truvada stop the HIV cells from further multiplication in the body and this drug has been in usage since the 1980s.
How Truvada Drugs Should Be Used?
Truvada drug is used by the individuals whose partners are affected with AIDs and are at increasing risk of becoming infected. It is an antiviral medicine that prevents Human Immunodeficiency virus from multiplying in your body. It is usually recommended continuing Truvada for 28 days after your last high-risk exposure. The drug alone cannot prevent the disease rather it comes as a protective measure along with condoms and counselling of the person. However before taking the drug an individual should;
- Get a preliminary test done to make sure that they are not already affected with HIV.
- Confirm that they are not suffering from Hepatitis B or C; kidney or liver damage; or other sexually transmitted disease.
After an individual start taking drug, he should be monitored every 2-3 months to ensure that they are not affected from:
- HIV infections.
- Side effects arising from the drug.
- Kidney and Liver health issues.
What Is This Truvada Lawsuit Everyone Speaks of?
The Truvada Lawsuit is basically a claim filed against Gilead Sciences which is a pharmaceutical company and has produced the drug ‘Truvada’ for treatment and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
Gilead Sciences purchased the rights for selling TDF and modified it in such a way that it could be taken orally instead of intravenously like it was being taken previously. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004.
The Lawsuit is such that numerous side effects have been experienced by the victims, and there are allegations against Gilead Sciences had developed a much safer for the treatment of HIV/AIDS but chose not to produce it as they were waiting for the Truvada’s patent to expire.
Another reason is that the company did not inform the users of the side effects and toxicity of the drug they were ingesting. The victims are hence outraged upon the medical issues they are now suffering while they were attempting to treat themselves of AIDS/HIV.
What Side Effects by the Drug Have Been Experienced?
- Common Side Effects: The most common side effects are seen in the form of allergic rash, headaches, nausea, vomiting and even loss of appetite.
- Osteoporosis and Osteopenia: The drug Tenofovir can also reduce mineral density in bones. This decreased bone density further leads to osteoporosis, bone fractures and broken bones. Though calcium and Vitamin D supplements can be helpful but the effects are not fully reversible.
- Kidney Failure: In some cases, the drugs can increase liver enzymes like creatinine and transaminases which increases strain on kidneys thus leading to kidney damage and hence kidney failure.
- Skin Effects: Emtricitabine can also lead to skin changes in some individuals leading to rash or colour change.
- Acidosis: Lactic Acidosis (accumulation of lactate) as a result of damaged kidneys in the bloodstream further leading to weakness. The acidosis can also result in decreased body metabolism with tachycardia (rapid breaths), sleepiness, confusions and even hallucinations.
- Liver Effects: The use of tenofovir or emtricitabine can also result in affecting vital body organs like fatty liver.
What Kind of Compensation Can the Victims Claim For?
If you or someone close to you such as a family member is the victim of the above mentioned health risks, then you can move on to file a lawsuit as well and claim for compensation for the damages suffered.
The damages you can claim compensation for include the:
- Overall costs that have been incurred in the medical treatment
- Income that was lost due to being sick, and not being able to work
- Pain and suffering that had to be borne by the victim as well as the family
- Loss of consortium that the family of the victim had to suffer
How to Decide on Filing the Lawsuit?
The first step is to run diagnostic tests (such as biopsies, imaging, or blood or urine test, and DEXA scan) which prove the health risks mentioned above.
If the diagnostic tests do indeed prove the health risks, quickly contact a lawyer within a year of the diagnosis and decide on the procedures overall for filing the lawsuit.
