UNIONDALE, N.Y., Feb. 29, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Mark & Associates, P.C. & MacDonald Rothweiler Eisenberg L.L.P. announced that they are evaluating claims of patients treated with the drug Tysabri(r) who have been diagnosed with severe liver damage or melanoma. The announcement comes shortly after the manufacturers of Tysabri, Biogen Idec Inc. (Nasdaq:BIIB) and Elan Corp. plc (NYSE:ELN), warned about reports of liver toxicity in patients treated with the drug following its approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine cautioned doctors about two aggressive cases of malignant melanoma that occurred shortly after the drug was administered. Tysabri(r) patients who have been diagnosed with severe cases of liver damage or melanoma are encouraged to visit http://www.youhaverights.com/dangerous-drugs/tysabri for a free legal consultation.
The letter sent to healthcare professionals warning about the risk of liver damage in patients treated with Tysabri(r) is available on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/Tysabri_dhcp_letter.pdf. An extract of the letter that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine is available on the NEJM website at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/358/6/647-a.
About Tysabri(r)
Tysabri(r), the brand name for natalizumab, is a monoclonal antibody that is approved for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Crohn's disease. Tysabri(r) was first approved by the FDA in November 2004, but was removed from the market just three months later after several patients were diagnosed with a rare, often fatal opportunistic brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The FDA allowed Tysabri back on the market in June 2006 for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with revised warnings and strict requirements for close monitoring of patients receiving the drug. Earlier this year, the FDA approved Tysabri for the treatment of Crohn's disease.
Tysabri(r) Litigation Experience
The attorneys at Mark & Associates, P.C. & MacDonald Rothweiler Eisenberg L.L.P. have a track record of both past and present litigation against Biogen Idec and Elan on behalf of Tysabri(r) victims. The firms currently represent the family of a patient who died from an opportunistic infection after receiving Tysabri(r). The case is pending in the U.S. District Court in Boston, Massachusetts (Civil Action No. 07-CA-11840 (DPW)). In 2006, in a highly publicized case, the attorneys at the firms represented the family of a woman who died from PML following Tysabri(r) treatment in state court in Massachusetts. See www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/AC/06/slides/2006-4208OPH1-01-MacDonald.ppt; http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2006/.
About Mark & Associates, P.C.
Mark & Associates, P.C. is a leading products liability and personal injury law firm with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Long Island, New York. The firm aggressively represents victims of defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices, dangerous consumer products, bad faith insurance denials, toxic exposure and serious auto and common carrier accidents.
About MacDonald Rothweiler Eisenberg L.L.P.
MacDonald Rothweiler Eisenberg L.L.P. is a leading plaintiff's law firm with a national practice, regarded for its accomplishments in litigation involving pharmaceutical products, personal injury, mass tort, medical malpractice, automobile "crashworthiness" and complex product liability. The firm's trial lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience, and have achieved record-breaking results for its clients in cases against Fortune 500 companies and large insurance companies. MacDonald Rothweiler Eisenberg L.L.P. has offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey.