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Massachusetts Truvada Lawsuit Attorney

One pharmaceutical company is in hot water right now as legal pressure continues to mount regarding its questionable practices. Gilead Sciences Inc. is being sued for allegedly withholding a safer alternative to their tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) based medicines, opting instead to sell these dangerous drugs to secure both patent and profit.

To make matters worse, the pharmaceutical titan knew about the danger bone and kidney complications that Truvada was capable of but sold it anyway.

And now those that took Truvada are looking for strong legal representation in civil court to help their suffering come to and end by getting them the compensation they need to recover. If you or someone you love has sustained bone and/or kidney complications because of Truvada, the Massachusetts Truvada lawsuit lawyers of Onder Law Firm want to help you.

Contact our experienced Massachusetts Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 now to set up your FREE legal consultation.

An Overview of Massachusetts HIV Statistics

In the state of Massachusetts, 20,060 people are living with HIV, equivalent to a rate of 343 people living with the virus per 100,000. Individuals living with HIV are more likely to take Truvada to stop the growth or spread of the virus, putting them at risk of developing serious kidney and bone complications.

From the 20,060 residents living with HIV in the state as of 2016, it was discovered that:

  • 29.1 percent were African-American
  • 40.2 percent were Hispanic/Latinx
  • 26.8 percent were White
  • 70.9 percent identified as a male
  • 29.1 percent identified as female

The three most affected counties within the state as of 2016 include:

  • Barnstable County – 391 people were living with HIV per 100,000.
  • Hampden County – 491 people had been living with HIV per 100,000.
  • Suffolk County – 830 individuals had lived with HIV per 100,000.

At the end of 2016, the virus would claim 286 lives, meaning that five deaths per 100,000 were attributable to HIV. The following year, 605 new cases of HIV were diagnosed, equivalent to 10 new cases of HIV diagnosed per 100,000.

The most common scenarios where men contracted the virus are:

  • Male-to-Male Sexual Contact (62 percent)
  • Injection Drug Use (20 percent)
  • Heterosexual Contact (9.9 percent)
  • Male-to-Male Sexual Contact and Injection Use (6.5 percent)
  • Other (1.6 percent)

Females living in Massachusetts that developed HIV contracted it from:

  • Heterosexual Contact (65.2 percent)
  • Injection Drug Use (31.5 percent)
  • Other (3.3 percent)

While taking their lives back from the virus is a commendable achievement, the true danger lies in what main active ingredient was present in the HIV medication. Medications like Truvada that contain TDF may combat HIV growth and spread, but the risk of developing painful bone and kidney complications in users is still ever-present.

Truvada’s Side Effects and Complications

How Truvada works isn’t so much of a miracle as excessive amounts of TDF is used per dose to reduce HIV replication. It does this by targeting the enzyme reverse transcriptase and reducing its activity, a key component that the virus uses to further replicate more HIV-infected cells.

This excess of TDF can cause multiple problems within the user’s body. It can drain bone of the vital minerals it needs to keep them strong. In fact, the body loses so much calcium while under the effects of TDF that it cannot keep up, effectively rendering the restrengthening of bone negligible.

Aside from a loss in bone density, TDF can also cause numerous bone complications that are often not felt until a fracture occurs. These complications include:

  • Discomfort in Extremities
  • Decreased Bone Mineral Density
  • Bone Deterioration or Osteoporosis
  • Bone Loss or Osteopenia
  • Dental Complications (e.g. Tooth Decay and Loss)
  • Bone Fractures

Excess TDF also poses a real problem within the user’s kidneys. It can cause the kidneys to produce high levels of serum creatinine, which signals the first stages of chronic kidney disease. If left untreated, it can progress to:

  • Declining Kidney Function/Decreased Urination
  • Acute Kidney Injury
  • Acute Renal Failure
  • Fanconi Syndrome
  • Kidney Failure

Having a preexisting condition within your bones or kidneys is only made worse when taking Truvada, but the negative side effects don’t stop there. Lactic acidosis has been reported to occur within users of Truvada, a condition that overproduces lactic acid and, if left unchecked, can cause the body to become more acidic. This condition causes muscle aches, burning sensations, stomach cramps, nausea, rapid breathing, and death.

The Lawsuit That Started It All

Throughout Gilead’s operation, they have been the target of many different lawsuits that brought their questionable business practices to the public eye. In their past, they have paid doctors’ salaries in order to sell the HIV and Hepatitis B medication. They have also paid personnel to facilitate the writing of prescriptions of their medications and attained contaminated ingredients from unapproved sources in China.

Despite their past transgressions, however, their most recent lawsuits are far more devious. Two men from California who were harmed by Truvada recently filed personal injury lawsuits alleging that Gilead withheld a safer alternative to their TDF-based products called tenofovir alafenamide fumarate, or TAF. TAF works just as effectively as its TDF counterparts, except at much smaller, much safer doses.

The lawsuits dig a little deeper into Gilead’s deception. They allege that the company shelved production into TAF to instead sell their TDF-based medications, as the company held a patent for the drugs until 2015. At that point, TAF-based medications would be marketed as an improved version of their HIV drugs like Truvada in order to secure another patent and net billions more. This led to over $11 billion in Truvada sales yearly.

While Truvada was designed to help those living with HIV to help control it, stop its growth, or stop its spread to others, the TDF within the drug caused much more harm than it should have, and Gilead knew about these side effects before marketing its TDF-based medications to the public in the early 2000s.

That brings us to today, where the two gentlemen that filed their personal injury lawsuits and an additional class action lawsuit aimed at recruiting more people that have been harmed because of Truvada and acquiring the compensation for the damages they sustained. At the same time, this class action lawsuit sends an important message to pharmaceutical corporations that putting profits over people will not be taken lightly.

That’s why the Massachusetts Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm want to help as many of those that developed bone and/or kidney complications due to Truvada use as possible. A class action lawsuit may not earn you much in terms of compensation, but by filing a separate product liability claim with our experienced legal team, we can get you the maximum monetary compensation you deserve.

Contact Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 to set up your FREE legal consultation today.

Massachusetts Product Liability

The statute of limitations in Massachusetts is three years from the date the injury was sustained. Any attempt to file a claim after the statute of limitations has expired will be disregarded. Filing early gives your legal team ample amounts of time to determine what kind of product liability your case falls under:

  1. Defective Design – The product was defective by design and injured the consumer. Two standards considered under this category are:
    1. Consumer Expectations Standard – The product was more dangerous than what was initially expected by the consumer.
    1. Risk-Utility Standard – The injury sustained from the product defect was serious enough or more likely to outweigh taking caution.
  1. Manufacturing Defect – The product developed a defect during its design or manufacturing process. This claim focuses on the product and how it caused your injury and nothing more.
  1. Lack of Adequate Warning or Instructions – Products that are dangerous right off of the production floor (e.g. toxic substances, choking hazards, hot elements, or sharp edges) need satisfactory and special instructions or warnings that instruct the consumer in how to safely operate the product. There is no room for vague or ambiguous instructions, as this can hold the manufacturer liable.

An experienced Massachusetts Truvada lawsuit lawyer from Onder Law Firm can navigate through the complexities of product liability so you won’t have to.

If you suffer from any bone or kidney complications due to Truvada use, the Massachusetts Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm have what it takes to help you get maximum monetary compensation. Contact us at (314) 310-7924 to schedule your FREE legal consultation today.

Our team is ready to help you with your Truvada case Call (314) 310-7924

This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. Results include Co-lead counsel on Yaz MDL & co-liaison leadership role in Pradaxa MDL.

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