Lawyers Investigating Severe Hypophosphatemia Claims on Behalf of Injectafer Patients

Amid growing concerns about the potential risk of severe hypophosphatemia side effects from Injectafer, product liability lawyers across the country are investigating claims on behalf of patients who developed severe hypophosphatemia after receiving Injectafer injections for iron deficiency anemia. Injectafer lawsuits brought against the companies responsible for the iron injection treatment in the United States allege that the companies failed to warn about the potential link between Injectafer and severe hypophosphatemia, a condition characterized by dangerously low phosphorous levels in the blood possibly leading to serious medical complications like cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, seizures, coma and death. If you or someone close to you has been hospitalized for hypophosphatemia following the use of Injectafer, contact us today to discuss your potential claim.

Reports of Severe Hypophosphatemia with IV Injectafer

Injectafer (ferric carboxymaltose) is an intravenous medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2013 to treat iron deficiency anemia in adults who cannot take oral iron supplements. Iron deficiency anemia, the most common type of anemia, is a condition that occurs when the body lacks adequate iron to make hemoglobin, which is what moves oxygen throughout the body. Some people with iron deficiency anemia are able to correct the condition by taking iron supplement pills, but others may not be able to take oral iron because they can’t tolerate it or because it is not sufficient or effective. For these individuals, an IV iron medication like Injectafer may be the recommended course of treatment. Injectafer is administered as a two-part injection designed to treat “iron-poor” blood and restore iron levels in the body. Instead, patients with iron deficiency anemia who have received shots of Injectafer are reporting dangerously low phosphorous levels, a condition known as severe hypophosphatemia.

Phosphate is an electrolyte that helps the body with nerve function and energy production and it also helps maintain healthy bones and teeth. In patients with severe hypophosphatemia, abnormally low phosphorous (phosphate) levels in the blood can trigger symptoms like muscle damage, fatigue, bone pain, tooth decay and bone fractures. In cases where hypophosphatemia is caused by a medication, such as Injectafer, the patient is advised to stop taking the drug immediately. If severe hypophosphatemia is left untreated, the condition can lead to serious medical complications like muscle tissue death (rhabdomyolysis), respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, softening of the bones (osteomalacia), seizures, coma and possibly even death.

Injectafer Hypophosphatemia Lawsuits

Patients who have developed severe hypophosphatemia after being treated with Injectafer are now consulting product liability lawyers to discuss the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the companies responsible for Injectafer in the United States. One of the first Injectafer hypophosphatemia lawsuits in the U.S. was filed against American Regent, Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Daiichi Sankyo and Vifor Pharma in December 2018 by plaintiff Katherine Crockett, who alleged that the manufacturers of Injectafer knew from scientific literature and clinical studies that the IV iron treatment causes severe hypophosphatemia (HPP) and deliberately kept this information from patients and the medical community. In the months that followed, other Injectafer lawsuits were filed in courts across the country, seeking compensation on behalf of patients who were hospitalized after using Injectafer.

Research Linking Injectafer to Hypophosphatemia

The growing number of Injectafer hypophosphatemia lawsuits filed in the United States are backed by medical literature and scientific evidence. In July 2019, researchers from Norway published a study in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics warning that Injectafer was associated with “higher incidence, severity and persistence of hypophosphatemia” in IBD patients with iron deficiency/iron deficiency anemia, compared to another iron replacement treatment called Monoferric (iron isomaltoside). According to the researchers, “The presence of moderate‐to‐severe hypophosphatemia beyond 6 weeks is a clinical concern that requires further investigation.” A more recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in February 2020 reported that 75% of patients treated with Injectafer developed hypophosphatemia and 11.3% developed severe hypophosphatemia, compared to only 7.9% and 0% of patients treated with Monoferric, respectively.

Pursuing Compensation for Potential Hypophosphatemia Side Effects

In February 2020, the Injectafer label was finally updated to reflect the potential risk of “symptomatic hypophosphatemia requiring clinical intervention,” though the updated label does little to warn Injectafer patients about the incidence, severity and persistence of the potentially life-threatening condition. If you or someone you love developed hypophosphatemia following treatment with Injectafer, you be eligible to file a claim against the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the IV iron injection. Contact Consumer Safety Watch today to determine whether you qualify for compensation for your alleged Injectafer-related injuries.