Humira defect lawyers file suit against Abbott Laboratories in federal court

Jun 14 2011

Humira defect lawyers filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories in federal court today claiming Abbott's blockbuster drug, Humira, caused a fungal infection resulting in the near-death of a Tennessee man.  

Army veteran Fred Delano was prescribed Humira in October of 2008 for psoriatic arthritis.  After taking the drug for two and-a-half months, Delano was hospitalized and diagnosed with disseminated histoplasmosis, an extremely dangerous side effect infection Abbott Laboratories knew could affect Humira users but failed to adequately warn them about.  

"Humira is a powerful and potentially dangerous drug. In the absence of proper warnings, it is impossible for a patient to make a well-informed decision whether or not to take a medication," said drug defect attorney Andy Vickery.  "Even when the FDA told Abbott to warn patients, the company chose sales over safety and delayed the warnings. Consequently my client received no warning that the drug he was about to take to help his arthritis would nearly kill him."

In September of 2008, just weeks before Delano was prescribed Humira, the FDA issued an alert to the manufacturers of arthritis drugs that include TNF blockers, like Humira, to provide new information about the risks of drug-induced fungal infections.