Washington Truvada Lawsuits Attorney

Truvada—a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drug manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc.—is used by Americans living with HIV or in high risk circumstances of contracting the virus. The drug helps control the growth of HIV in people who have the virus and prevents it from developing in those that don’t.

The company is being sued by two gentlemen that were harmed by Truvada, which contains a harmful ingredient called tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Now, many former and current users of the drug are reporting bone and kidney complications that they were not informed about.

The Washington Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm are actively searching for individuals who are HIV positive that sustained negative side effects and injuries from Truvada use. Our law firm has the legal experience and resources necessary to winning your product liability claim and earning you maximum monetary compensation for your injuries.

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

Lawsuits in California Dig Up Disturbing Information

Over the 30 years that Gilead Sciences Inc. has been under operation, it has been no stranger to lawsuits. Many of the past lawsuits allege that the company conducted problematic business practices that essentially bribed doctors to sell their products, paid personnel to facilitate writing prescriptions for their products, and sourced contaminated ingredients for their medications from an unapproved Chinese vendor.

However, this latest case is far more devious than the previous ones. Two men who developed painful side effects from their use of Truvada have come forward in the California civil court, filing personal injury lawsuits against Gilead for their role in withholding a safer alternative to TDF-based medications and failing to relay negative side effect information for the sake of profit.

Tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) is that safer alternative to TDF-based medications that was shelved early by the company in order to maximize profits off of their patented TDF medications like Truvada. TAF-based medications work just as effectively as TDF-based ones but need only a smaller, safer dose. Since Gilead had patented TDF until 2015, the company decided to sell their TDF products at exorbitant prices until the patent expired. Afterward, the company would sell TAF products as an improved formula.

This decision ultimately generated around $11 billion per year for Gilead, all the while their users developed painful bone and kidney complications. To make matters worse, Gilead knew about the negative side effects and the injuries they could cause and sold the drug anyway.

The lawsuits filed by these two gentlemen in California is a method of seeking both answers and compensation for Gilead’s deception. A class action lawsuit was also created that is looking to recruit more people that were harmed by Truvada in order to right a most grievous wrong. While it may send an important message to pharmaceutical companies that questionable business practices will only be met with punishment, it may undercut the value of your claim.

But with the experienced Washington Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm, attaining the maximum value of your product liability claim is something that is easily achieved because of our tenacity to help those suffering as a result of corporate greed.

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

Washington Product Liability

The statute of limitations for product liability in Washington extends to three years from the date that the injury was sustained. Filing any time after that will only result in your case being dismissed as the civil court will believe that your injury wasn’t bad enough to warrant litigation.

As an added benefit to filing a product claim early, our Washington Truvada lawsuit attorneys will have ample amounts of time to investigate Truvada and how it injured you, and determine what kind of product liability your case falls under:

1. Defective Design – The consumer’s injury was caused by a product that was defective by design. Two standards that lawyers must consider under this category are:

1. 1. Consumer Expectations Standard – Was the product more dangerous than initially expected?

1. 1. Risk-Utility Standard – Was the injury that was sustained from the product defect serious enough to avoid caution?

1. Manufacturing Defect – The injury the consumer sustained was a result of a defect made manifest within the design or manufacturing process. This claim only looks into how the product caused your injury and not if the company acted in a negligent or malicious manner.

1. Lack of Adequate Warning or Instructions – Inherently dangerous products (e.g. toxic substances, choking hazards, hot elements, or sharp edges) need specific and adequate instructions or warnings meant to keep the consumer safe from harm. Vague or ambiguous instructions or information can hold the manufacturer liable.

A Washington Truvada lawsuit lawyer of Onder Law Firm is experienced in product liability law and can help you navigate its complexities so you can focus on recuperating.

Overview of Washington HIV Statistics

Throughout Washington, 12,769 individuals are living with HIV, equivalent to a rate of 209 people living with the virus out of 100,000. Since people that have the virus are the most frequent users of the drug, many of these individuals may be at risk of developing negative side effects if Truvada is what’s inside of their medicine cabinet.

Of the 12,769 people that are living with HIV, around:

• 15.5 percent were African-American
• 59.0 percent were Hispanic/Latinx
• 14.3 percent were White
• 85.3 percent identified as a male
• 14.7 percent identified as female

Throughout Washington State in 2016, the counties most affected by HIV include:

• Pierce County – 196 individuals had lived with HIV per 100,000.
• Columbia County – 258 people had been living with HIV per 100,000.
• King County – 370 people were living with HIV per 100,000.

At the end of 2016, HIV ended up claiming 171 lives, which was equivalent to 3 deaths from the virus out of 100,000 people. In 2017, 439 new cases of HIV were diagnosed, meaning around 7 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2017 per 100,000 people.

The most common form of HIV contraction in males stemmed from:

• Male-to-Male Sexual Contact (81.7 percent)
• Male-to-Male Sexual Contact and Injection Use (8.1 percent)
• Heterosexual Contact (5.8 percent)
• Injection Drug Use (3.5 percent)
• Other (0.9 percent)

Out of the women living with HIV in Washington, transmission of the virus came from:

• Heterosexual Contact (80.9 percent)
• Injection Drug Use (16 percent)
• Other (3.1 percent)

As a result, 4,057 individuals affected by HIV were prescribed TDF-based medications like Truvada to prevent the growth of it within themselves or to prevent the spread of the virus to their partners. That means that around three people were prescribed the drug out of 100,000 people, and if any of these medications had TDF in them, the risk of developing painful bone and kidney complications is high.

Truvada’s Side Effects and Complications

Excessive amounts of TDF are required to treat and control HIV-infected cells. Truvada accomplishes this by suppressing the activity of the enzyme that inadvertently aids in HIV-infected cell replication, reverse transcriptase.

Since excessive amounts of TDF are required, it can often create a lot of complications within the user’s body. The first indicator that something is amiss in a user’s body is through the overproduction of serum creatinine, indicating the development of chronic kidney diseases. If not taken care of promptly, it can lead to conditions such as:

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

Excessive amounts of TDF can also cause bone to lose minerals, a process called bone demineralization. This condition causes the bones to lose minerals at an exponential rate where it cannot rebuild or strengthen themselves. This condition can leave bones brittle and far more susceptible to fractures. Over time, TDF can cause more bone complications such as:

• 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

What’s worse, having a preexisting bone or kidney condition is exacerbated when taking Truvada. Other reports have indicated that excessive amounts of TDF can cause lactic acidosis, a condition that overproduces lactic acid. This condition causes the body to become more acidic, generating physical maladies such as muscle aches, burning sensations, stomach cramps, nausea, rapid breathing, and even death as a result.

Gilead Sciences Inc. betrayed your trust, and as a result, you’re suffering from bone and kidney complications while they are making a profit. Hiring the experienced Washington Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm will bring you justice for their conduct and compensation for your injuries. Contact us at (314) 310-7924 to schedule your FREE legal consultation today.