Two new drugs that will treat Hepatitis C have been approved by the FDA. The medications are Merck’s boceprevir and Vertex Pharmaceutical’s telaprevir. While both boceprevir and telaprevir provide patients with a higher chance of curing the disease, neither drug is comfortable for the person taking it. The FDA also warned that the drugs may cause the skin disease Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Each drug requires a complicated regimen for taking the doses. Both medications also vary in treatment length depending on the severity of each patient’s condition and how well they respond to treatment. What is catching most people’s attention about these soon-to-be-approved drugs are their dangerous side effects.
Both manufacturers are hoping to only give treatments as they are needed to help patients avoid experiencing some of the dangerous side effects. Some of the side effects associated with telaprevir and boceprevir include anemia, rash, heart problems, need for blood transfusions and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
While no drug-induced treatment can avoid side effects, Stevens-Johnson syndrome is starting to become a staple of drug warning labels these days. Since the condition can develop from an allergic reaction, almost any drug can cause it. Most commonly, drugs like Tylenol, Children’s Motrin, Motrin and Children’s Tylenol have been linked to SJS, but so have many other medications such as Dilantin, Bactrim and the quit-smoking drug Chantix.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a potentially fatal disease that causes a patient to burn from the inside out. When it evolves into its more dangerous form, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, it can cause death. Both conditions are scarcely heard of but as they get more well-known, drug companies are starting to include the risks in their warning labels.
If you have developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome after taking medication, contact Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I will fight hard to help you get any money that you may be entitled to for your injury.