Claimants have filed numerous lawsuits against Cymbalta maker, Eli Lilly and Company. Claimants claim that Cymbalta (duloxetine), a popular antidepressant medication, can not only cause an increased risk of suicidal behavior and birth defects, it can also cause severe withdrawal symptoms with the sudden discontinuation of the medication.
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Introduced in 2004 by Eli Lilly, Cymbalta can be taken for depression, diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, pain, and fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, some users of Cymbalta have developed severe side-effects from the sudden discontinuation of the drug. The most serious side-effects include mood swings, neurological problems, and brain zaps (severe headaches, nausea and dizziness). Other common symptoms which Cymbalta users may experience with sudden discontinuation can include nightmares, fatigue, headaches, black-outs, vomiting, insomnia, vertigo, irritability, and anxiety. The symptoms have been so severe for some Cymbalta users that the FDA has named the condition “Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome.”
Unfortunately, Eli Lilly has not done a sufficient job of warning patients of the dangers of abruptly discontinuing the use of Cymbalta. Some users have had to be hospitalized and have had persistent symptoms even when they have been sufficiently weaned from the drug. Others have suffered severe-side effects despite discontinuing the use of the drug weeks prior.
Eli Lilly and Company has been in business for over 138 years. Eli Lilly and Company currently manufactures and sells a variety of different medications including those for the treatment of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, and men’s health. The company has been instrumental in developing some of the world’s most important medications, including the first breakthrough insulin medication for the treatment of diabetes in 1923. Several years later they also developed the first liver-extract product to combat anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. Later they produced a method to mass-produce penicillin, the worlds first antibiotic.
In recent years, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company has faced lawsuits regards their failure to notify users of the risks and severity of the discontinued use of their product Cymbalta. As of 2014, dozens of lawsuits had been filed against the company. At the core of the complaint is that Eli Lilly failed to warn users of Cymbalta’s withdrawal effects which can include severe nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, vertigo, nightmares, and electric-shock-like sensations in the brain.
Manufacturers have the responsibility to produce, market, and sell products which are safe for their intended use. They also have the responsibility to adequately warn users of the potential hazards of using their products.
Cases against Eli Lilly have been on the rise since 2012 with users arguing that the company failed to honestly disclose the risks associated with the withdrawal of Cymbalta, and instead, the company engaged in “unfair and unlawful marketing practices.” Eli Lilly has sold approximately $18 billion in Cymbalta between 2004 and 2011. Plaintiffs in the Cymbalta lawsuits are seeking compensation for unfair business practices, false advertising, and breach of express and implied warranty.