Utah Truvada Lawyers

Since 1983, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was known by the general population as a virus that caused death across the world. Around one million people die every year due to the virus. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15,807 people who were diagnosed with HIV in 2016 died in the United States due to complications caused by the virus.

As a result, one pharmaceutical company came up with a solution called Truvada, an antiviral prescription medication typically used to help reduce the growth of HIV when taken in unison with other HIV medications. While the drug did help treat individuals living with the virus, a specific active ingredient in the drug has recently been linked to the development of debilitating side effects

To make matters worse, Gilead Sciences, Inc. – Truvada’s manufacturer – knew about the side effects but sold the medication anyway.

Now, users that are suffering from their deception are coming forward with product liability claims to fight for the compensation they need to recover, and Onder Law Firm is leading the way in Truvada victim representation in the civil court.

Contact the dedicated Utah Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 for your FREE legal consultation today.

How Does Truvada Work?

Truvada belongs to a class of HIV treatment drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which are drugs that prevent the action of the reverse transcriptase enzyme. Without the help of this enzyme, HIV cannot replicate

Truvada is a mixture of two different drugs – emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), the primary cause of product liability lawsuits across the country due to its development of complications within bones and kidneys.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. originally proposed Truvada as a treatment for HIV in 2004, and it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that same year. At first, many patients were seeing the benefits of Truvada and were astonished by the power of this drug until more and more patients started to report harmful symptoms.

Current Litigation Targeting Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Following said complaints about the negative side effects and symptoms, lawsuits and a class action filed by two gentlemen from California, who are financially backed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), claimed that Gilead Sciences, Inc. created and tested their “safer” version known as tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). However, the company wanted to increase profits so they decided to halt production and testing and then resumed manufacturing and marketing their TDF products like Truvada.

On top of these discoveries, Gilead received FDA warning letters on multiple events when the company spokespeople dismissed Truvada’s side effects and made fraudulent allegations about the drug’s safety. This unethical and unjust practice is precisely why your Utah Truvada lawsuit attorneys are here to help.

Overview of Utah HIV Facts and Statistics

Utah ranked #36 among all 50 states in the number of HIV diagnoses as of 2015, putting a face to those that suffer from the virus. The sad truth, however, is that these same individuals who are fighting for their lives are also the primary victims of Gilead’s deceit.

According to AIDSvu.org, approximately 2,737 people in total are living with HIV in Utah. From the total of Utahns living with HIV:

2 percent were Caucasian.
1 percent were Hispanic/Latinx.
2 percent were African American.
7 percent identified as male.
3 percent identified as female.

The top counties where HIV is most prevalent as of 2016 are:

Salt Lake County – 212 out of 10,000 people had HIV.
Grand County – 111 out of 10,000 people had HIV.
Weber County – 80 out of 10,000 people had HIV.
Millard County – 71 out of 10,000 people had HIV.
Washington County – 69 out of 10,000 people had HIV.

In 2017, 117 new cases of HIV were diagnosed, showing that the majority of these new cases were developed in men through:

6 percent Male-to-Male Sexual Contact
5 percent Male-to-Male Sexual Contact and Injection Drug Use
9 percent Injection Drug Use
0 percent Heterosexual Contact

Women who developed HIV were found to have contracted the virus from:

7 percent Heterosexual Contact
2 percent Injection Drug Use

Although we do have statistics about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Utah, Utah itself is known for having the lowest rate of HIV testing in the United States. This is a difficult fact when trying to determine the exact number of people who are living with the virus, much less trying to find loved ones at risk of painful side effects for taking Truvada.

Common Side Effects of Truvada

It is a known fact that Truvada can cause kidney and bone issues, causing great pain and distinctive symptoms in its users.

Nausea is one of the most common side effects of those who have consumed Truvada. According to Medical News Today, 9 percent of the population who are taking Truvada experienced nausea, while another 9 percent also had diarrhea and 4 percent experienced stomach aches.

While those are the most common side effects that occur in consumers, people may react differently from this medical treatment by showing signs of:

Vomiting
Unexplained weight loss
Fatigue
Vertigo
Depression
Increased respiratory infections
Skin inflammation
Increased levels of cholesterol
Headache
Migraines
Increased sinus infections
Acne
Constipation
Sore throat
Hair loss

One of the more concerning aspects of taking Truvada is how it can affect and/or worsen any preexisting conditions in your kidneys. Because of this, going to your doctor and getting regular check-ups of your kidney function is crucial, especially if you’ve taken Truvada for quite a long time.

The excessive amounts of TDF in Truvada can lead to an overproduction of serum creatinine, which most medical professionals agree is the first sign to chronic kidney disease. According to MedicalNewsToday.com, a study that lasted 1.5 years was performed on individuals taking Truvada and found a decreased kidney function occurred in less than 1 percent of the individuals taking Truvada at the time.

Many other internal pains can arise due to prolonged Truvada intake, such as:

Abnormal protein levels
Acute kidney injury
Fanconi’s syndrome
Low kidney function
Tubular dysfunction
Renal failure

Excessive amounts of the TDF component in Truvada can also cause bone loss–also known as osteopenia. Under the effects of TDF, bones lose calcium and other minerals that keep them strong, which leads to a degeneration of bone that occurs faster than new bone can be created.

Having this deficit of minerals considerably weakens your skeletal structure, which can result in osteoporosis which, in time, leads to multiple fractures with even the slightest of trauma. Other bone complications include:

Muscle weakness
Muscle pain – constant and increasingly painful
More bone fractures
Extreme discomfort
Tooth Loss

In the same article cited above, 13 percent of the sample size who took Truvada and had their bones examined were said to have a decrease in bone density while 1.7 percent had at least one bone fracture throughout the study’s duration.

To avoid serious and life-threatening complications such as the ones listed above, your doctor will likely run the following examinations to make sure you are a candidate to take Truvada:

Liver functional test
Kidney functional test
Actual HIV presence examination
Hepatitis B virus infection test
Immune system blood cell count

Here at Onder Law Firm, we understand that health is wealth, which is why we are here every step of the way to make sure you receive both the justice and the compensation you deserve.

How Onder Law Firm Can Help You in Your Claim

Product liability is a complex field of law to navigate through on your own, and recruiting a law firm that doesn’t have much experience in the field can be just as big of a detriment to the value of your claim.

During your consultation, our experienced product liability lawyer will ask you a series of questions in order to fully understand what kind of product liability case you have. It’ll usually fall into one of the following three categories:

Defective Design – The injury you sustained was caused by a product that was inherently defective by design.
Defective Manufacturing – The injury you sustained happened because the product you used was made defective during the manufacturing process.
Failure to Warn Defect – The injury you sustained was caused by a dangerous product that contained no warnings, safety instructions, or warranties.

Once your product liability case has been reviewed, your lawyer will be hard at work collecting as much evidence as they can. This usually involves hospital documentation showcasing injuries and expenses, testimonies from industry experts (e.g. medical professionals, engineers, accident recreation specialists, etc.), medical and drug receipts, and anything else that can prove that Truvada caused your kidney and bone injuries.

When your lawyer has collected a sufficient amount of evidence, your fight for the compensation you need begins. Our attorneys will work to secure recovery for but not limited to:

Medical Bills (past, present, and future)
Pain and Suffering
Lost Wages (past, present, and future)
Loss of Earning Capacity
Loss of Quality of Life
Loss of Consortium
Emotional Damages
Wrongful Death Damages

At Onder Law Firm, we have made a name for ourselves by fighting large corporations that have harmed consumers in the past. We have collected over $3 billion in settlements and verdicts for our clients, and we are more than happy to fight tooth and nail for your right to full restitution.