Zelnorm

On March 30, 2007, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis suspended all marketing and sales of Zelnorm, a popular prescription medication used to treat the “constipation predominant” aspects of the debilitating condition known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS.  There are three main types of IBS:

• Diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D),
• Constipation-predominant (IBS-C)
• Alternating stool pattern (IBS-A).
• A fourth type called IBS-PI, or post-infectious IBS, can occur after an infectious illness in conjunction with fever, acute diarrhea, vomiting, and a positive stool culture.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects approximately 12 million Americans each year, and is characterized by a number of broad and diverse symptoms such as:

• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal discomfort
• Bloating
• Alteration of bowel habits

Unfortunately, results of recent short term and randomized studies indicate that Zelnorm could potentially cause a number of serious and potentially fatal cardiac conditions including:

• Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• Stroke
• Angina Pectoris, or chest pain caused by the lack of oxygen to the heart muscle

Zelnorm is also believed to be linked to a number of gastrointestinal problems such as Ischemic Colitis, Intestinal Ischemia, and Colonic Ischemia.

The Food and Drug Administration issued the recall of Zelnorm because they determined that the risks of the drug outweigh the benefits.  After reviewing the results of a study wherein 13 people out of 11,614 suffered serious cardiac events as opposed to one case out of 7,031 people taking placebos, Novartis and the FDA concluded that this was a statistically significant coincidence, and thus determined further review was necessary in order to prevent potential injury to the public at large.

If you or someone you know was injured by Zometa you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering.  You must act quickly, for if you hesitate the statute of limitations in your state could end your case before it has a chance to begin.  Let our dedicated and experienced defective drug attorneys help you get the justice you deserve.  Contact us today.