OT: Children's Motrin & s- Syndrome

[Guest guest]

Suit: Children's Motrin Has Side Effects

Lawsuit Filed in Los Angeles Claims Children's Motrin Causes Severe Side

Effects

The Associated Press

Dec. 28, 2004 - The parents of a 7-year-old girl on Tuesday sued the makers

of Children's Motrin and several other companies that distribute the

painkiller, claiming their daughter lost her eyesight and suffered other

severe side effects after taking the medication.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Brierton of Los Angeles,

seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against health care

giant & , subsidiary McNeil Consumer & Specialty

Pharmaceuticals, and several other firms, including retailers Ralphs

Grocery and Albertsons Inc.'s Sav-On pharmacies.

In their lawsuit, and Joan Brierton accuse the defendants

of negligence, breach of warranty and of concealing from consumers and

doctors potential health risks of taking the flu and pain medication,

specifically the risk of developing two disorders s- Syndrome

and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis which are typically caused by an adverse

reaction to a drug or virus.

took Children's Motrin drops on Sept. 8, 2003, after she came home

from school complaining of a fever. The girl had no known drug allergies,

according to the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The next morning, she woke up with a high fever and other symptoms,

including a pink coloration in her eyes and sores in her mouth. She was

hospitalized, but a day later she was blind in both eyes.

Doctors later concluded had contracted s- Syndrome

from taking Children's Motrin, according to the lawsuit. Since then,

has undergone multiple eye surgeries.

" In the name of children everywhere, our family wants Children's Motrin

taken off the market until it carries a warning label about the risk of

s- Syndrome and describes its symptoms, " the girl's mother

said in a statement.

The complaint also alleges the companies knew of a connection between the

medication and the disorders from their own clinical tests dating back to

the late 1980s, and even included warnings of such risks with the drug

before it became available without a prescription.

The retailers who sold Children's Motrin and another defendant, Cardinal

Health Inc., knew or had reason to know the drug had " design flaws, " the

lawsuit also claims.

Bonnie s, a spokeswoman for Fort Washington, Pa.-based McNeil, which

manufactures Children's Motrin, said McNeil and & were

aware of a report that a 7-year-old girl allegedly developed

s- Syndrome after taking the medication.

" As the makers of Children's Motrin products, we are deeply concerned by

all matters relating to our products and we are investigating the

situation, " s said.

She declined to discuss the case further.

Representatives of Sav-On and pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Corp.,

also a defendant, declined to comment citing company policy against

discussing pending litigation.

Messages left at the offices Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health and Kroger

Co.'s Ralphs chain were not immediately returned Tuesday.

A similar lawsuit was filed against the makers of Children's Motrin in

March 2003. In that federal lawsuit, filed in San , the parents of a

then 9-year-old girl alleged the medication left their daughter unable to

see, speak or eat, and accused & and McNeil of failing to

adequately test the drug for over-the-counter use and to properly warn the

public.