Bristol-Myers Squibb, Makers of Plavix, Face Injury Lawsuits

3 November 2006

The first personal injury lawsuit against the makers of Plavix(R), Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis, has been filed. Among the allegations are misleading the public and hiding the risks of the popular blood thinning drug, Plavix(R). The lawsuit, filed on behalf of an individual injured by Plavix, comes just days after third-party payors announced they had filed a class action against the companies, alleging that Plavix causes much higher risks of heart attack, stroke, internal bleeding and death than previously reported. The suit further alleges that the company knew this information and had been warned repeatedly by the FDA to stop its misleading advertising and promotional practices.

For years, Plavix(R) has been heavily marketed to patients and doctors as a "super-aspirin" that would give a person greater cardiovascular benefits than a much less expensive, daily aspirin, while being safer on a person's stomach than aspirin. The result is that doctors have been prescribing Plavix(R) to people for whom it is not medically necessary, and causing people who could be protected against heart attack and stroke with a simple aspirin to pay approximately $4 a day for a dose of Plavix that may cause the very symptoms the person is trying to avoid.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2006, found that "although doctors believe the combination of Plavix(R) and aspirin should reduce the risk of a second heart attack, the combination not only does not help, but it nearly doubles the risk of death, heart attack or stroke in people with no history of heart disease."

"BMS and Sanofi repeatedly thwarted the law and their duty to inform the public about the drug they were over promoting for profit," said Nancy Hersh, Principle, Hersh and Hersh. "They misinformed physicians about who should be given Plavix(R) and about the proper applications for the drug, causing people to die and be seriously injured as a result."

The lawsuit was filed by Hersh & Hersh and Miller & Associates on behalf of Dorothy Hall and Thomas Hall, husband and wife. Dorothy hall was prescribed and used Plavix from December 20, 2002 to Oct 4, 2005 for the purpose of preventing a heart attack or stroke. Dorothy thereafter suffered two separate strokes, each requiring medical attention. Had Dorothy been properly warned of the risks of using Plavix, she never would have used it.

Hersh & Hersh represents the Halls in this ground-breaking suit against the makers of Plavix. Hersh & Hersh has a history of leading the plaintiff's bar in filing injury lawsuits against drug-makers, having filed the first Fen-Phen lawsuit and the first suit against Eli Lily for the drug, Zyprexa.

For more information, please contact Charles Kelly @ Hersh & Hersh, 415-441-5544 or Severn Williams 510-336-9566.

Source: prnewswire

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