Perdue Kidd & Vickery Files Lawsuit Against Abbott Laboratories for Inadequate Leukemia and Cancer Warning

DALLAS, July 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Humira defect lawyers filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories in Texas state court claiming Abbott's blockbuster drug, Humira, caused a life-threatening disease, leukemia.

"Eleven year-old Bo Anderson was prescribed Humira for a skin condition, psoriasis.  After taking the drug for approximately ten months, Bo's parents noticed unusual bruising covering his body while on a family vacation," says drug defect attorney Andy Vickery.

"Bo immediately underwent various tests and was diagnosed with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; a dangerous side effect Abbott Laboratories knew could affect Humira users but failed to warn them about."  

Vickery says because of the Humira-induced leukemia, Bo now must continue to undergo intense treatment that could potentially cause long-term and serious side effects, and could possibly develop secondary cancers as he matures.

Prior to the launch of Humira in 2003, other similar drugs had been linked to lymphoma and other forms of cancer, and clinical trial data suggested that there was a very significant epidemiological "signal" about the risk.  Once Humira was launched, many adverse event reports were submitted regarding cancers, however Abbott did nothing to warn about this.  Bo was diagnosed with Leukemia on January 8, 2009, over seven months after the FDA said that physicians and patients should be warned about this side effect, and nearly ten months before a Black Box warning was finally issued regarding Humira-induced leukemia in pediatric and adolescent patients.

Humira (Adalimumab) is a class of biologic drugs known as TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) blockers. It works by blocking naturally occurring proteins that cause inflammation.  However, research has shown that taking drugs like Humira can compromise the immune system and can have a devastating and even deadly effect resulting in serious infections, cancer, allergic reactions, Hepatitis B virus reactivation, nervous system problems, heart failure, blood issues and certain immune reactions. Humira is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, crohn's disease, and plaque psoriasis. With 2010 sales of $6.5 billion, Humira is Abbott's flagship drug.

Perdue Kidd & Vickery is a national law firm of Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyers.  The law practice is based in Houston, TX.   Further information is available at http://www.HumiraJustice.com. View an educational video about Humira fungal infections.

SOURCE Perdue Kidd & Vickery