• 23
  • March
    2011

The Southeast Texas Record reports that three Texas residents are filing a suit, claiming that a prescription drug used to treat acid reflux caused them to develop Parkinson's disease.

The suit, which claims the manufacturer was failed to provide adequate warning concerning the drug's risks, was filed against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and six other pharmaceutical companies, in late February in the Marshall Division of Texas' Eastern District Court. The suit concerns the drug commonly marketed as Reglan.

Reglan, which is a gastrointestinal stimulant, antiemetic and dopamine antagonist, is meant to be used for short-term treatment of symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux and other gastrointestinal disorders. One common side effect of Reglan is increased risk of "tardive dyskinesia," resulting in involuntary, repetitive bodiliy movements.

No treatment is currently known for tadive dyskenesia, which may last weeks or months after one has stopped taking the drug. Sometimes the condition is irreversible.

One of the plaintiffs claims to have developed the condition after taking Reglan for approximately 10 years, and that he was unaware that the drug was not intended for long term use. Another, who used the drug for about 18 months between 2002 and 2003, says she developed abnormal movements in 2009, and was later diagnosed with Reglan-induced Parkinson's disease and two other conditions. The third plaintiff was similarly diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia after taking the drug for approximately a year-and-a-half.

In February of 2009, the Food and Drug Administration ordered manufacturers of the drug to provide a box warning.

Source: Southeast Texas Record, "Lawsuit blames drug-induced Parkinson's on reflux medication," Michelle Massey, 2 Mar 2011.