Levaquin, Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) fluoroquinolone antibiotic drug used to treat respiratory and urinary tract infections, has been linked to numerous cases of tendon ruptures. One Minnesota man died only 11 weeks after taking the drug.

Tragic Levaquin death

According to a Mayo Clinic case study published in the Journal Of Medical Case Reports, an active 91 year old senior citizen who continued to farm without any major health conditions developed bronchitis and went to see his doctor who prescribed 500 mg of Levaquin (levofloxacin) once a day for a week.

After only four days of taking the drug, he began to have extreme heel pain that made it difficult to get around by himself. He went to Minnesota's famed Mayo Clinic for treatment and doctors discovered that both of his Achilles tendons had completely ruptured. Casts were initially placed on his heels, then controlled ankle motion (CAM) boots.

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Ten weeks later, he development pneumonia, then kidney failure, sepsis (a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria), a heart attack and was being kept alive by artificial means. His family withdrew care and he passed away – only 11 weeks after being prescribed Levaquin. Mayo Clinic doctors said that Levaquin's side effects were directly responsible for his physical injuries, psychological injuries and subsequent death. Unfortunately, Levaquin isn't the only fluoroquinolone drug causing problems.

Other dangerous fluoroquinolone drugs

Drugs such as Cipro, Factive, Noroxin and Floxin are causing similar injuries. Those drugs are manufactured by Bayer, Oscient Pharmaceutical, Merck & Company and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical respectively.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed alleging that fluoroquinolone manufacturers failed to warn consumers and manipulated clinical data to increase profits. The lawsuits point to the FDA's 2008 black box warning on all fluoroquinolone drugs that warned about the increased risks of tendonitis and tendon ruptures - especially for those patients who are over 60, those currently undergoing concomitant steroid therapy and recipients or kidney, heart and lung transplants.

If you've been injured due to a fluoroquinolone drug, contact a Levaquin attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. You many be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

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