Generic Reglan Lawsuits In Question While Brand Name Lawsuits Still In Court

In a devastating opinion for consumers, the Supreme Court has ruled that generic drug companies cannot be held liable for failing to warn about known side effects of medications they sell, so long as their labels are identical to those of the original brand-name product.  The ruling may have an impact on thousands of generic drug lawsuits filed throughout the United States, involving problems with generic versions of drugs like Reglan, Accutane, Darvocet, Zocor and others. In the recent Reglan lawsuit brought to trial,  the 5-4 decision in Pliva Inc. v. Mensing was handed down by the Supreme Court today, split along ideological lines among the justices.

The case before the court, Pliva Inc. v. Mensing, involved metoclopramide, which is sold under the brand name Reglan. Reglan was approved in 1980 as a treatment for digestive track problems. Two women had sued Croatia-based Pliva Inc. and other generic drug manufacturers for failing to provide warnings about Reglan tardive dyskinesia. Reglan did

Metoclopramide and Reglan Lead to Most Common Drug-Induced Movement Disorders

Although Reglan is marketed for treatment of conditions that are often chronic and long-term problems, the medication is only approved for use of less than 12 weeks, however many patients experience long term side effects of Reglan.  Since there is little benefit in treating a long term condition with a short-term treatment, many doctors continue their patients on the medications for more than three months.  In fact, about 30% of all prescribed metoclopramide drugs are taken for more than 12 months. Long-term or high dose use of Reglan, as well as other drugs containing dopamine antagonists like metoclopramide, substantially increase the risk of Reglan Tardive Dyskinesia.

The term "Tardive Dyskinesia" was first introduced in 1964, referring to repetitive, involuntary and purposeless movements.  The condition

Canada Raises Warning For Tardive Dyskinesia Risk With Reglan

Canadian health officials are requiring stronger warnings about the risk of movement disorders as side effects of Reglan, which is sold as generic metoclopramide. Reglan (metaclopramide) is designed for short-term treatment of gastrointestinal disorders like diabetic gastroparesis, gastroesphageal reflux (GERD) and delayed gastric emptying. However, it is often prescribed for longer periods of time due to the often chronic persistence of those ailments, which has left many users with the movement disorder. Reglan side effects have been linked to a risk of Tardive Dyskinesia, a permanent and disabling condition which causes repetitive, involuntary and purposeless movements, such as: grimacing, puckerinig or pursing of the lips, tongue protrusion or lip smacking, rapid eye movements and blinking and uncontrolled Movements of the Extremities and Fingers.

The new metoclopramide warnings were announced by Health Canada on July 20, providing additional information about the link between long-term use of Reglan and an increased risk of tardive dyskinesia, stating that “Tardive dyskinesia may develop in patients treated with metoclopramide. The elderly, especially elderly women, appear to be at increased risk. The risk appears to increase with treatment length and the total amount of drug taken. Reglan tardive dyskinesia is more likely to

Reglan Lawsuits Not to be Combined

Although Reglan lawyers have been pushing for consolidated Reglan litigation recently, the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation has shot down the idea, claiming that since Reglan litigation has been going on for about twenty years, many of the discoveries that would usually be left to the multidistrict litigation discovery process have already been made in earlier cases.

Reglan Lawsuit Settlements Depend on History, Other Medications

Many former users of the gastrointestinal drug Reglan are now suffering from one of the pharmaceutical industry’s most damaging and lasting side effects of Reglan – tardive dyskinesia. The neurological movement disorder is brought on by drugs like metoclopramide and manifests with symptoms including uncontrollable movements of muscles in the face and limbs. There is no known treatment or cure for tardive dyskinesia.

Long Term Use of Reglan Leads To Serious Complications

Classified as a dopamine antagonist and developed in the 1950s to treat psychiatric patients, Reglan is now used to help increase the muscle contractions in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Stronger muscle contractions help to increase the speed the stomach empties into the small intestine. Reglan, generically known as metoclopramide, is a drug commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, persistent heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and a feeling of stomach fullness. Reglan works by increasing pressure at the point where the esophagus connects to the stomach through muscle contractions and helps the stomach deliver food faster into the intestines to complete the digestive process. It is prescribed for both children and adults. Evidence shows that extended use of Reglan can potentially cause the serious neurological syndrome, Reglan induced Tardive Dyskinesia.

Permanent Tardive Dyskinesia Induced By Reglan

Tardive dyskinesia, a permanent neurological disorder characterized by involuntary facial movements caused by the contracting of facial muscles, has been decisively linked to gastrointestinal drug Reglan, causing almost a hundred users to file a Reglan lawsuit against the company responsible in order to hopefully collect a settlement that can pay for the high cost of living with a permanent disorder or one of the other side effects of the drug.
Reglan works to aid digestion by stimulating the muscles in the stomach and intestine to contract in order to move food more quickly through the digestive system. However, its power to make muscles contract seems to have the tendency to spread to areas of the body where it is not necessarily wanted. Side effects that are normal with Reglan and do not indicate a problem include nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, and lethargy.