Quoted from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-18/johnson-johnson-wins-second-trial-over-injury-claims-against-antibiotic.html
J&J Wins Trial Over Claims Antibiotic Levaquin Caused Injuries
By Margaret Cronin Fisk and Beth Hawkins - Jun 18, 2011 12:01 AM ET
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) isn’t responsible for a tendon injury sustained by an 84-year-old man and properly warned of the risks posed by its antibiotic Levaquin, a Minneapolis jury decided.
Calvin Christensen, who said he ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right foot after taking the drug while hospitalized for pneumonia, sued the company and its Ortho- McNeil Pharmaceutical unit in 2007. Christensen said the companies downplayed the risks of Levaquin to boost sales of the drug.
Johnson & Johnson denied any failure to warn and contended Christensen needed Levaquin to treat the pneumonia. The Minneapolis federal court jury rejected his claim yesterday.
“The jury took a good, hard look at all the evidence and correctly concluded that Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. acted responsibly and properly in disclosing the risks associated with this effective and life-saving medicine,” James B. Irwin, a lawyer for the company, said in a statement after the verdict.
Christensen’s case is the second of more than 2,500 pending claims in U.S. courts to go to trial over allegations that Levaquin caused tendon damage in patients and that the company failed to adequately disclose the risk. J&J and Ortho-McNeil lost the first trial when a separate Minneapolis jury awarded $1.8 million to an 82-year-old man who ruptured both Achilles tendons.
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