The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has told people to stop using LipoKinetix, sold by Syntrax Innovations, Inc. (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), as a dietary supplement.
There have been several serious liver injuries linked to LipoKinetix. The FDA has heard from more people who used LipoKinetix and got acute hepatitis or liver failure.
LipoKinetix is sold to help people lose weight. Caffeine, yohimbine, diiodothyronine, sodium usniate, and norephedrine are all in it.
People between the ages of 20 and 32 have had adverse side effects and told the FDA about it. In these reports, the only thing that seemed to hurt the liver was taking LipoKinetix.
Patients should talk to their doctor if they have symptoms that could be caused by this product, such as nausea, weakness or fatigue, abdominal pain, or a change in the color of their skin.
Also, the FDA wants doctors to look over their patients’ cases of hepatitis to see if any of them might be linked to the use of dietary supplements.
Consumers or medical professionals who know of bad reactions to this or other dietary supplements can call the FDA’s MedWatch adverse event and product problem hotline at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report the bad reaction.
Safety
Usnic acid and its salts uniquely connect to severe liver damage and liver failure.
Taking 300–1350 mg orally daily for a few weeks has caused severe hepatotoxicity in some people.
Lipokinetix had sodium usniate as one of its ingredients.
Within three months of starting LipoKinetix, all people in one study in an outpatient clinic and tertiary care hospital got acute hepatotoxicity. The symptoms and lab test results were typical of acute hepatitis.
After they stopped taking LipoKinetix, all of the patients improved independently.
Three of the seven patients took LipoKinetix alone when they went to the hospital. One of them had a fulminant hepatic failure, which was made worse by cerebral edema.
What Steps Should I Take if I Think Lipokinetix or Other Drugs Have Had Negative Impacts on My Health?
If you think any of the medications on the HAM list or any other drugs you may be taking are damaging your health, you should talk to the physician who gave you the drug.
If a person’s doctor doesn’t give them answers that make sense, they should see another doctor.
If someone thinks that HAMs or any other drug has already hurt their health, they could talk to an unsafe drug lawyer. This is a counselor who handles product liability or medical malpractice lawsuits.
A product liability or malpractice lawyer will look at the details of a person’s case to see if any bad effects on their health were caused by mistake made by the physician or other healthcare provider when they gave them the drug.
Or, the attorney may decide the drug is flawed in some way and that the pharmaceutical institution that made the drug is to blame.
The FDA’s MedWatch program can also be used to report the bad side effects of drugs.
The program aims to receive reports of severe reactions, problems with product quality, failed treatments, and mistakes in how people use medical products. Biologic products, drugs, medical devices, baby formula, dietary supplements, and cosmetics are all examples of things that can be reported.
If a person wants to report a drug that a doctor prescribed, they can ask their physician for help. But if you want to avoid your doctor being involved in filing your report, you can finish the form yourself.
You might want to talk to a lawyer about reporting something to the program. The FDA does accept reports made by lawyers on your behalf.
It’s important to remember that reporting bad side effects of drugs through the MedWatch program could help the FDA better regulate drugs. But it isn’t an opportunity to get compensation for any harm that the medicine might have caused. That needs to be taken to court.
Should I Pursue a Class Action Suit or Bring the Drug’s Maker to Court By Myself?
Both suing a pharmaceutical company individually and class actions have pros and cons.
In a civil lawsuit, the individual filing the complaint is called the “plaintiff,” and the individual or business being sued is called the “defendant.”
When attempting to decide between the two choices, here are some of the good things to think about:
- When plaintiffs are part of a big group of claimants, they have more power.
- Plaintiffs are better positioned to negotiate and are more likely to settle before going to court. This saves money and keeps the case from being uncertain.
- When a plaintiff teams up with others, the lawsuit costs each of them less (cases about medical mistakes or drugs can be expensive because they may involve a lot of experts).
- As with many personal injury lawsuits, the plaintiffs pay the lawyer’s fees if they win an award, which detracts from their total payout.
- People who are part of a class action have more time to file a lawsuit.
If your issue is for a tiny amount, it probably isn’t worth the time and money to go to court. Most lawyers aren’t interested in minor cases, either. A plaintiff should join their suit with other people.
If each claimant goes to court independently, the amounts they get back may differ. Keep this in mind.
Class action lawsuits bring less pressure on the courts.
Even though it may not be necessary for a single plaintiff, having just one court case makes courtrooms and judges more efficient.
The following are some of the bad things about class action suits:
- In a class action lawsuit, an individual plaintiff can usually only get monetary damages and restitution.
- A class action may not be the best way for someone to get a lot of money for their non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering.
- During the court process, the individual claimant has zero say in the decisions that are made (if you want to have more command and be more involved, they might be better off taking action on their own)
- When someone joins a class action, they give up their ability to file a claim on their own
If the class action doesn’t work or a person thinks that the amount they get isn’t enough, they won’t be able to take action on their own later.
Lipokinetix Maker Pays $3.4 Million to Settle Liver Failure Case
A woman who used the dietary supplement Lipokinetix and then needed a liver transplant because of it settled her case with the company for $3.4 million.
Should I Talk to an Attorney?
The use of LipoKinetix may cause damage to the liver. If you or someone you care about has had severe health problems after taking Lipokinetix, you should see a doctor.
You might also want to talk to an experienced class action lawyer in your area who can help you protect your legal rights and get paid for your injuries.
Pharmaceutical injuries are very serious matters. You might be entitled to significant financial compensation. Submit your case to a lawyer on LegalMatch today. Your attorney can provide you with the legal representation and guidance needed for your case from start to finish.
