It is alleged that patients using Actemra (tocilizumab) to treat rheumatoid arthritis have as significant a risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, interstitial lung disease, or death as individuals using other arthritis medication that included warnings, such as Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade. Yet no warning has been issued by company regarding these risks.
Actemra has been widely marketed as not carrying these risks, while competitor drug companies have specifically acknowledged the dangers and warned the medical community and patients to be cautious when prescribing or taking their drugs. The failure of the manufacturer, Roche, to provide adequate warning regarding the dangers of Actemra has led doctors to over prescribe this medication to individuals who are susceptible to heart and lung injuries, and resulted in doctors failing to more closely monitor these patients.
Actemra (tocilizumab) is an immunosuppressive drug. It is used to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, a condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissue, including joints. In severe cases, the body’s immune system can attack internal organs. Actemra works by suppressing this reaction. Actemra can also be used to treat polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA) and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA).
Investigators found “Clear evidence that the risks of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and other conditions were as high or higher for Actemra patients than for patients taking some competing drugs” that included warnings.
Investigators with STAT analyzed over a half million adverse event reports on a variety of rheumatoid arthritis drugs — including over 13,500 reports involving Actemra (tocilizumab) — and found over 1,100 reports of Actrema patients who suffered from death. Hundreds of those people died of heart failure, stroke, heart failure or other conditions that are not on the label, like pancreatitis, which has a 50% risk of death.
Actemra competes with other arthritis drugs, such as Humira, Remicade, and Enbrel. These other drugs carry warnings about the risk of heart failure, heart attack, and stroke — Actemra does not. Investigators found “clear evidence that the risks of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and other conditions were as high or higher for Actemra patients than for patients taking some competing drugs.”
The lack of similar warnings on Actemra may suggest it has a lower risk, but in a head-to-head study of Actemra and Enbrel, the rate of stroke and heart failure was actually 1.5-times higher in Actemra patients.
Filing an Actemra Lawsuit could potentially result in compensation for the following:
Thousands of people died while taking the arthritis drug Actemra (tocilizumab) — but no one told patients. Now experts are warning about heart failure, pancreatitis, and urging caution for patients at risk of heart attack, stroke, or lung disease.
