ANEMIA DRUG OMONTYS RECALLED AFTER ALLERGY-RELATED DEATHS

The drug Omontys, which is used to treat anemia in kidney dialysis patients, has been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its manufacturers, Affymax and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. According to a recent article in The New York Times, there had been reports that three patients suffered severe allergic reactions to Omontys, which resulted in their deaths.

According to the FDA, nineteen reports of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, have been linked to the drug. The patients who were affected required immediate medical treatment or hospitalization, and three of them suffered death due to the reaction. Although the manufacturers state that initial allergic reactions can be controlled and that they don’t tend to re-occur with subsequent doses of the medication, the FDA has required a recall until questions related to the drug’s use and risks can be resolved.

Omontys (peginesatide) was approved by the FDA in March 2012 for the treatment of anemia related to kidney dialysis. It was only the second such medication on the market, following Amgen’s Epogen, which has been available since 1989. Fresenius Medical Care North America, the country’s single largest provider of dialysis services, stopped treating its own patients with Omontys earlier this year due to concerns about allergic reactions and other side effects.

If you’ve suffered a serious illness or injury related to a drug that was later recalled, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced San Jose recall injury attorneys at Caputo and Van Der Walde – Injury & Accident Attorneys. For a free and confidential consultation, contact us today at (800) 900-0863.