Birmingham Truvada Lawsuits

The pharmaceutical giant, Gilead Sciences, has recently become a target of lawsuits from users of Truvada living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The lawsuits claim that the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) component in the antiretroviral medication has caused plaintiffs to suffer serious injuries, that the company was fully aware of these dangerous side effects yet continued to market the drug as completely harmless, and also shelved a safer alternative.

These moves may have secured billions for the company, but they put many individuals living with the virus at risk of debilitating bone and kidney conditions. Because of this negligence, victims are coming forward seeking proper compensation through civil lawsuits.

That’s where the Birmingham Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm come in. Our years in product liability litigation has earned us the experience you need to take on this large drug manufacturer in order to secure the compensation you need to cover the costly expenses you’ve incurred through no fault of your own.

Contact Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 to schedule your FREE, no-obligation consultation today.

More on Gilead’s Recent Lawsuits

This isn’t the first time Gilead has been on the defendant side in civil court; for years, the company has been under the legal lens. Previous lawsuits claimed that the company funneled kickbacks to licensed medical professionals in order to promote drug sales.

More recent lawsuits are examining Gilead’s role in creating an HIV medication monopoly, along with other pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. These planned actions have allowed the company to charge absurdly high prices on their HIV drug, Truvada.

This has garnered the attention of the House Oversight Committee. In May of 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Chair, Elijah Cummings, questioned Gilead regarding these exorbitant prices. The committees investigation revealed that Gilead spends around $6 in manufacturing one month’s supply of Truvada but can charge any individual living with HIV and without health insurance between $1,600 and $2,000 for that same month’s supply.

Gilead has tried to justify this by claiming that the high prices for Truvada in the United States are to encourage innovation, research, and development of newer and better drugs – but many aren’t falling for that rhetoric.

Gilead’s initial research and development of Truvada was funded by taxpayer money.

Gilead has also been sued by two gentlemen in California recently for their role in concealing negative side effect information and a safer alternative to TDF from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the public.

The safer drug component alternative — known as tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) — is reported to be just as effective at reducing the replication of HIV-infected cells as TDF does, just at smaller, safer doses. The reason why Gilead shelved this was to protect the patent they had of TDF medications until it expired in 2015. From there, TAF become the “new and improved” formula that would keep Gilead as the top contender in terms of profits from HIV medications.

This breach of duty has led to the potential harm of hundreds of thousands of people living with HIV who have taken Truvada over a long period of time, much like the two gentlemen from California. The two filed personal injury lawsuits against Gilead for their deception. Now, many others that the drug has negatively affected have done so as well.

You can trust that our experienced product liability attorneys of Onder Law Firm will fight tooth and nail to get you the maximum amount of compensation you need to properly recover.

Gilead’s long history of deceit must be accounted for. Contact us at (314) 310-7924 to get started on your product liability claim now.

Bone and Kidney Complications Caused by Prolonged Truvada Use

Truvada works by using considerable amounts of TDF to reduce the activity of an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. This reduction in activity slows down the replication of HIV-infected cells within those living with the virus.

These large amounts of the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) can cause a lot of harm to the user’s urinary and skeletal system. Recent studies have linked TDF to the overproduction of serum creatinine, one of the first signs of chronic kidney disease. In time, frequent use of Truvada can lead to:

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

If you or someone you love experiences any of the following symptoms of any of the aforementioned kidney conditions, see a doctor immediately:

• Anemia
• Bruising
• Changes in skin color
• Confusion
• Difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Inability to urinate
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Swelling
• Vomiting
• Weakness

Skeletal damage has been reported from prolonged Truvada use as well. The lawsuits claim that TDF can cause a loss of bone density, otherwise known as osteopenia. When this loss of calcium and other minerals that make bones strong is left untreated, it can ultimately lead to osteoporosis — a condition where bones become more brittle and susceptible to fractures. These bone loss-related conditions often showcase symptoms such as:

• Extreme discomfort
• Muscle pain
• Worsening bone pain
• A stooped posture
• Loss of height over time

If you are experiencing any of the above signs and symptoms caused by Truvada, visit a doctor as soon as possible. If you suffer from preexisting bone and/or kidney complications, prolonged Truvada use can exacerbate them.

Seek out medical treatment for your injuries, then seek out justice. Contact the Birmingham Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm today.

How Onder Law Firm Can Help You

Product liability claims are complicated, and most often, large corporations will do all that they can to win the case or make it go away with little consequence. Because of the complexities presented in these types of claims, you need an experienced product liability attorney to accurately represent your civil case.

Onder Law Firm is a law firm that has attorneys with extensive knowledge and experience in product liability. We have won over $3 billion in verdicts and settlements from other product liability cases, and we know what it takes to take on these pharmaceutical giants in order to get you the best outcome possible.

By taking on your case, we can analyze the details that led up to your bone and/or kidney injuries sustained from frequent and long-term Truvada use. We will work alongside a supporting team of medical professionals, researchers, and other legal professionals to determine which of the following three product liability categories your particular case falls into:

1. Defective Design – The defect of the product was built in from the start.
2. Defective Manufacturing – The product was rendered defective through the manufacturing process.
3. Failure to Warn Defect – The lack of safety instructions, warning labels, and warranties from a dangerous product caused serious injury.

Our clients may be eligible to receive compensation for their injuries, covering:

• 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

Overview of Birmingham, AL Facts and Statistics

Thirty years ago, HIV was considered a death sentence, but thanks to recent medicine, that is no longer the case. Antiretrovirals like Truvada have enabled those living with HIV to stymie its growth, improving the quality of life and lifespan.

However, since the negative side effect information was not relayed to the public, many have suffered unexpected injuries needlessly, and the time has come for Gilead to answer to Birminghamians living with HIV for their deception.

According to AIDSVu.org, 2017 saw around 4,318 individuals living with HIV in Birmingham. Out of this total:

• 8 percent African American.
• 1 percent Caucasian.
• 9 percent Hispanic/Latinx.
• 1 percent identified as male.
• 9 percent identified as female.

That same year, around 168 new cases of HIV had been diagnosed, and from that information, the organization was able to determine that men had contracted the virus from:

• 3 percent Male-to-Male Sexual Contact
• 0 percent “Other” (e.g. blood transfusions, hemophilia, missing data, etc.)
• 9 percent Heterosexual Contact
• 3 percent Male-to-Male Sexual Contact & Injection Drug Use
• 5 percent Injection Drug Use

Women were found to have contracted HIV from:

• 1 percent “Other” (e.g. blood transfusions, hemophilia, perinatal exposure, missing data, etc.)
• 5 percent Heterosexual Contact
• 4 percent Injection Drug Use

At the conclusion of 2017, 18 individuals perished in Birmingham due to the virus and its complications.

If you take Truvada, contact your doctor to see if any other viable substitutions exist before it’s too late.

Experienced defective drug attorneys you can trust. Let us help you get the compensation you need to properly recover from Gilead’s deceit. Contact the Birmingham Truvada lawsuit attorneys of Onder Law Firm at (314) 310-7924 for your FREE legal consultation now.