Virginia Truvada Lawsuits Lawyer

The HIV drug known as Truvada—manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc.—assists those living with or affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by controlling the virus’ growth or spread. As noteworthy of an achievement this is, the drug has recently been linked to the development of debilitating side effects in it users.

The key ingredient in Truvada called tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is now known to cause bone and kidney complications that Gilead intentionally failed to inform its users about, and now these individuals are looking to hire a Virginia Truvada lawsuit lawyer to help get their voice heard.

If you or someone you love used the drug Truvada and currently suffer from chronic bone or kidney diseases as a result, the experienced attorneys of Onder Law Firm are dedicated to helping you earn the maximum monetary compensation you need to properly recover.

Contact the committed Virginia Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 to set up your FREE, no-obligation consultation today.

Virginia Product Liability

Filing your claim right after you have sustained an injury greatly benefits your case. While your memory of the incident and the related evidence is still fresh, fighting for your right to compensation in a product liability claim and winning becomes an achievable task when you have best Virginia Truvada lawsuit attorney at your disposal.

To properly start you on this journey, your lawyer must determine what type of product liability claim you have. These types of claims generally fall into three categories:

1. Defective Design – The product was defective by design, ultimately causing your injury.

1. Manufacturing Defect – The product became defective during the designing or manufacturing process. This category does not take into account if the manufacturer was negligent or malicious in intent.

1. Lack of Adequate Warning or Instructions – Products that are a danger (e.g. sharp objects, choking hazards, toxic substances, or hot elements) to consumers must come with clear and understandable warnings or instructions in order to keep the user safe.

In Virginia, victims or a defective product injury must file a product liability claim within two years from when the injury occurred. Failure to file during this time frame is essentially a forfeiture of your right to compensation.

Don’t hesitate to file your product liability claim with our experienced Virginia Truvada lawsuit attorneys today. Call now at (314) 310-7924 to get started.

Gilead’s Checkered Past

Gilead Sciences Inc. has been the target of lawsuit after lawsuit throughout its 30 years of operation. In the past, the company was sued for their alleged involvement in funneling kickbacks that paid off doctors’ salaries in order to sell their medications, acquired contaminated ingredients from unapproved sources in China, and paid off personnel to facilitate writing prescriptions for their Hepatitis B and HIV medications.

What sets their latest lawsuit apart from the rest, however, is something that is far more devious. In 2018, two men from California that have a history of using Truvada and suffered negative side effects due to usage claimed that Gilead Sciences Inc. had withheld a safer alternative to their TDF-based drugs like Truvada in order to keep their patent on the drug until 2015. With this patent on their TDF-based medications secure, it allowed Gilead to sell their medications at exorbitant prices.

To make matters worse, the claim also stated that Gilead had known about the bone and kidney complications that their TDF-based medications can cause but still sold these products anyway, effectively putting profits over people.

The safer alternative—known as tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF)—works just as effectively as its TDF counterpart, only at lower, safer doses. Allegedly, Gilead’s plan was to keep TAF medicines near their chest while they sold TDF medicines like Truvada until the patent expired. Afterward, the company would begin marketing their TAF medications as an improved formula and solidify its patent on those drugs and make more money hand over fist.

This decision netted the company over $11 billion in Truvada sales annually. As more people suffered from their injuries, users of Truvada decided to stand up and fight for their rights and their lives. These two gentlemen that filed their own personal injury lawsuits against Gilead also filed a class action lawsuit, looking to recruit others that have been hurt for the sake of profit by this problematic pharmaceutical company.

One thing to consider, however, is that a class action lawsuit generally underpays its participants, and since bone and kidney complications caused by Truvada use can be quite costly to treat, recruiting a legal team that is dedicated to winning the compensation you need to properly recuperate is something that the Virginia Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm are more than eager to do for you.

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

Side Effects and Complications Attributed to Truvada Use

In order to cease the replication of HIV-infected cells, excessive amounts of TDF are required in order to slow down the activity of an enzyme—known as reverse transcriptase—that HIV uses to multiply. The problem with excessive amounts of TDF, however, is the damage it causes to your bones and kidneys.

TDF in large amounts can cause the kidneys to overproduce serum creatinine, which is an early indicator of chronic kidney disease. Eventually, if left untreated, this condition can worsen, causing:

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

The excessive amounts of TDF within Truvada have also been linked to the development of bone conditions. Essentially, TDF robs bone of the minerals it needs to stay healthy and strong. This process, known as bone demineralization, causes bones to lose excessive amounts of calcium, leaving behind brittle bones that are susceptible to fractures and:

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

Users of Truvada who have a preexisting bone or kidney condition may experience their conditions worsening because of the drug. Other users have also stated that Truvada aided in the development of lactic acidosis within their bodies—a condition that overproduces lactic acid which then causes muscle aches, burning sensations, stomach cramps, nausea, rapid breathing, and even death.

Overview of Virginia HIV Statistics

In 2016, it was discovered that over 21,565 individuals were living with HIV. This is equivalent to a rate of 305 people living with the virus per 100,000 people. Since many of the users of Truvada are individuals that live with the virus or are in high circumstances of contracting it, this large population of individuals could be at risk of developing painful bone and kidney complications if they were—or are—taking Truvada.

Of the 21,565 people living with HIV, approximately:

• 57.6 percent were African-American
• 27.9 percent were Hispanic/Latinx
• 9.3 percent were White
• 73.7 percent identified as a male
• 26.3 percent identified as female

The counties containing the highest rates of those affected by HIV include:

• Brunswick County – 441 individuals had lived with HIV per 100,000.
• Nottoway County – 517 individuals lived with HIV per 100,000.
• Sussex County – 544 people were living with HIV per 100,000.
• Norfolk County – 688 people were living with HIV per 100,000.
• Greenville County – 915 people had been living with HIV per 100,000.

Most noteworthy, 4,933 individuals who suffered from the effects of HIV lived in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sadly, 22 deaths were reported in 2017 due to HIV complications in the city alone. However, many more were lost to the virus throughout the state in 2016.

Throughout 2016, HIV took the lives of 309 individuals, or 4 deaths due to HIV out of 100,000 people. The following year, 868 new cases of HIV had been diagnosed, signifying a rate of around 12 people newly diagnosed with HIV per 100,000 people. In most cases, the virus was contracted from:

• Male-to-Male Sexual Contact (83.8 percent)
• Heterosexual Contact (10.5 percent)
• Male-to-Male Sexual Contact and Injection Use (3.1 percent)
• Injection Drug Use (2.6 percent)

On the other hand, women living with HIV in Virginia had developed the condition from:

• Heterosexual Contact (91.8 percent)
• Injection Drug Use (7.7 percent)
• Other (0.5 percent)

Around 2,401 people decided to take their lives back from HIV and were prescribed Truvada in 2018, equivalent to a rate of 34 people that were potentially prescribed TDF-based medication per 100,000 people living in Virginia. Now, these same people may be at a high risk of kidney failure and/or bone demineralization through no fault of their own.

This time is now to bring Gilead Sciences Inc. to justice. Let us help you get your voice heard and earn the compensation that is rightfully owed to you. Contact the Virginia Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 today for your FREE, no-obligation consultation.