A recently filed lawsuit claims the prescription drug Uloric caused a man’s congestive failure and left him with permanent health problems. This lawsuit joins numerous others from across the nation, each raising similar claims that Uloric manufacturers failed to warn the public about the severe side effects of taking Uloric.

On August 26, James Wagers, a Kentucky resident, filed his lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Wagers names Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufactures of Uloric, as defendants in the lawsuits, alleging that the company failed to adequately warn the public about the heart health risks associated with Uloric.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals first introduced Uloric (febuxostat) to the market in 2009. As a prescription medication, Uloric was created to help in lowering the blood uric levels in adults diagnosed with gout. However, increasing studies and evidence in recent years linked Uloric to cardiovascular problems and even heart-related death.

Many Uloric users are now discovering that their heart attacks, strokes, myocardial infarction, and heart failures were caused by their use of Uloric over the years. In February of 2019, the FDA mandated that Uloric carry the strongest warning label the agency can issue: a “black box” warning label.  This warning label cautions the public about the risk of cardiovascular side effects, which plaintiffs claim were not adequately warned about by Takeda Pharmaceuticals in the past.

In his claim, Wagers says he was first prescribed Uloric for the treatment of his gout in 2016. In February of 2017, he then suffered a heart attack, resulting in the need for immediate medical treatment and leaving him with ongoing health complications. Wagers says Takeda Pharmaceuticals neglected to warn patients and doctors about the risks of Uloric, removing patients’ choice to choose a, perhaps, safer drug for gout treatment.

“Defendants ignored reports from patients and health care providers throughout the United States of Uloric's failure to perform as intended, which led to the severe and debilitating injuries suffered by Plaintiff, and numerous other patients,” Wagers indicates in his lawsuit. “Rather than doing adequate testing to determine the cause of these injuries or rule out Uloric’s design as the cause of the injuries, Defendants continued to market Uloric as a safer and more effective prescriptive drug as compared to other available alternative treatment for hyperuricemia and gout.”

Despite the additional warning label and critics calling for a Uloric recall, no recall has been issued by the FDA as of yet.

Did You Take Uloric and Experience a Heart-Related Injury?

If you or a loved one experienced heart-related complications or death after taking Uloric, you may be a victim of negligence. Increasing evidence indicates Takeda Pharmaceuticals was negligent in not reporting the dangerous side effects of Uloric and failed to protect public health through their actions. Because of their negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.