Arizona Truvada Lawsuit Attorney

What should have been a life-saving drug is now causing consumers severe bone and kidney-related health issues. Gilead Sciences Inc., makers of the HIV drug, Truvada, are now facing lawsuits from individuals who have used the drug and are alleging they have suffered catastrophic injuries.

It is the component within Truvada known as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) that has been linked to bone loss and kidney damage. But Truvada isn’t the only drug that has been sold by Gilead Sciences which contains TDF.

The company has marketed a number of HIV drugs that include:

• Atripla
• Complera
• Stribild
• Viread

If you have suffered kidney or bone injuries after a regimen of taking Truvada or one of the other previously mentioned HIV medications, do not wait to contact the Arizona Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm. Contact us right now at (314) 310-7924 to speak with one of our attorneys who can assess your situation and help you to better understand the lawsuit process.

Qualifying for a Truvada Lawsuit

In order to potentially qualify for a Truvada lawsuit, certain factors will be taken into consideration to determine your eligibility. Our Truvada lawsuit attorneys offer a FREE, no-obligation, confidential consultation in order to help you better understand your rights and abilities to file a claim.

A few basic qualifications include:

• Suffering from kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease and kidney failure are both documented side effects of Truvada. If you followed a medical regimen that involved you taking Truvada to manage your HIV and were diagnosed with kidney failure, you may be eligible to file a claim.
• Suffering from bone loss, fractures/breaks, or osteoporosis. Truvada has been linked with bone density loss, which can result in osteoporosis and bone fractures/breaks. If you have suffered bone-related health issues after having taken Truvada, you may be eligible to file a Truvada osteoporosis claim.

In order to connect the use of Truvada to your injuries, you will need to secure medical/pharmacy records that prove that you were indeed prescribed the drug. These records/documents can be obtained through your doctor, pharmacist, or the hospital where you have been treated.

Additionally, you will need to be diagnosed with a serious kidney or bone-related injury. A record of this diagnosis will be essential in order to validate your claim.

If you are eligible to file a claim, our attorneys will fight to help you secure full and fair compensation for the damages you have suffered. Compensation may include coverage for but not limited to:

• Medical Bills (past, present, and future bills related to your Truvada injury)
• Lost Wages (past, present, and future)
• Pain and Suffering
• Decreased Quality of Life
• Loss of Consortium
• Out-of-Pocket Expenses

You have a right to hold Gilead Sciences accountable for their actions. Contact our Arizona Truvada lawsuit attorneys today at (314) 310-7924 for a FREE case evaluation.

The Health Complications Truvada Is Causing

Truvada contains two agents which block the actions of an enzyme HIV uses to replicate itself. These two key components in the drug are known as emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF).

Research has linked the TDF agent to both bone loss and kidney damage.

The excessive amounts of TDF found in Truvada are problematic for a user’s kidneys. The agent puts too much strain on kidneys and can severely damage the organ, ultimately leading to chronic kidney disease or failure. Additionally, when the kidneys become damaged, they are no longer able to effectively filter out waste materials from the body or return important bone-building nutrients back into the bloodstream.

When coupled with Truvada’s link to bone density loss, this can prove to be catastrophic for users of the drug. It’s also worth noting that individuals with HIV already face an increased risk of bone density loss.

Over time, damages to a Truvada user’s kidneys can result in:

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

When bones become drastically weakened, individuals may suffer from:

• Discomfort in Extremities
• Bone Deterioration
• Osteoporosis
• Osteopenia
• Dental Complications (e.g. Tooth Decay and Loss)
• Bone Fractures/Breaks

Alongside bone and kidney-related health issues, use of Truvada comes with additional side effects that need to be closely monitored. The primary side effects which have been noted include:

• Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea
• Fatigue/Weakness/Dizziness
• Rash
• Bruising
• Headache
• Thirst
• Diminished Mental Alertness
• Mental Health Issues
• Confusion
• Anemia
• Abdominal Pain
• Muscle Cramps
• Breathing Problems
• Skin Color Changes
• Liver Problems
• Swelling/Numbness

If you or someone you love has suffered from any of the above-mentioned side effects and complications after frequent use of Truvada, seek out medical attention immediately. Then, seek out the experienced team of Onder Law Firm to help you better understand your legal options.

Gilead Sciences Inc. Put Profit Before People

Plaintiffs filing lawsuits against Gilead Sciences Inc. allege that the company not only withheld vital information regarding the dangerous side effects of their products from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but also intentionally withheld a safer alternative that is just as effective as TDF-based medications but does not cause the same serious injuries due to its smaller, safer dosage requirements.

While in the process of developing their TDF-based products, Gilead was simultaneously developing a component known as tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). The company was aware that TAF had lower toxicity and could better treat HIV-positive individuals but instead chose to avoid selling this product until the patent on their TDF-based products had nearly expired.

The company did this as a means to hold a market dominance and maximize their profits. The company has made billions of dollars off the sales of Truvada including contracts with government health agencies who have promoted the product and encouraged the prescribing of the drug.

It wasn’t until 2015 that the company finally released a TAF-based product it deemed as a “new and improved” formula.

Gilead knowingly marketed a drug known to cause serious side effects to grab as much cash as the company could and then only offered a better alternative when it suited the company’s interests most.

Do not suffer in silence. Hold Gilead accountable by recruiting the Arizona Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm. Contact us today at (314) 310-7924 for a FREE consultation.

About LGBT and HIV-Positive Demographics in Arizona

The following populations include individuals who have a higher likelihood of being prescribed or taking Truvada and thus being affected by its side effects.

As per UCLA’s School of Law William Institute:

• The LGBT population constitutes 4.5 percent of the total population in Arizona.
• Males account for 45 percent and females 55 percent of this demographic.
• Whites account for 50 percent of the state’s LGBT population while Latinos account for 37 percent. All other races/ethnicities combined account for 9 percent.
• The average age for an individual in the LGBT population in Arizona is 36.7 years old.

It is estimated that there are approximately 248,805 adults in Arizona’s LGBT population.

In terms of HIV-positive population, the 2017 Arizona HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report reveals some key figures that can help us to better understand who may be affected by Truvada’s dangerous side effects.

As per the report:

• In 2016, there were 17,464 individuals living in Arizona with HIV/AIDS.
• 780 new infections were reported to the state health department.
• 201 deaths were reported as a result of an HIV/AIDS infection in 2016.
• At the end of 2016, the prevalence of HIV infections stood at 252 cases per 100,000 population.
• In 2016, men had a rate of 19.7 HIV/AIDS diagnoses per 100,000 population. On the other hand, women faced a much lower rate of 3.3 diagnoses per 100,000.
• People aged 25-29 had the highest rates of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in Arizona with a rate of 31.7 per 100,000 people.

In terms of races/ethnicities most affected by HIV/AIDS in 2016, those numbers stood at:

• Non-Hispanic Black males had the highest rates of diagnoses with 60.6 per 100,000, while non-Hispanic Black females had an incidence rate of 28.1 per 100,000.
• American Indians/Alaska Natives were the second most affected group of males in the state with an incidence rate of 30.8 per 100,000. Females in this demographic had a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 population.
• Hispanic males had a rate of 25 per 100,000, while Hispanic females saw an incidence rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people.
• Non-Hispanic White males had a diagnosis rate of 12.6 per 100,000 and non-Hispanic white females saw a rate of 1.8 per 100,000.

Among all risk categories:

• Men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for the largest proportion of HIV/AIDS cases in Arizona in 2015; this group accounted for nearly 61 percent of all cases.
• The MSM population also accounted for 71 percent of all new HIV infections for males.
• Among females, high-risk heterosexual sex accounted for 36 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2016.

Our committed Truvada lawsuit attorneys are ready to work hard in order to earn your trust. At Onder Law Firm, we do NOT get paid until YOU get paid.

Contact us today at (314) 310-7924 for a FREE case evaluation.