Zelnorm cardiovascular side effects lawsuit:
The maker of Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, has agreed to stop selling Zelnorm. Zelnorm is being taken off the market because a new safety analysis has found a higher chance of ischemic colitis, heart attack, stroke, and worsening heart chest pain that can become a heart attack in patients treated with Zelnorm compared to those treated with a sugar pill they thought was Zelnorm. If you feel you may have a case, please submit a free consultation here to be reviewed by a Zelnorm attorney.
FDA announces the following, effective immediately:
• At FDA’s request, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation has agreed to stop selling Zelnorm.
• Patients being treated with Zelnorm should contact their physician to discuss alternative treatments for their condition to prevent a Zelnorm heart attack or stroke.
• Patients who are taking Zelnorm should seek emergency medical care right away if they experience severe chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, sudden onset of weakness or difficulty walking or talking or other symptoms of a Zelnorm heart attack or stroke.
• Physicians who prescribe Zelnorm should work with their patients and transition them to other therapies as appropriate to their symptoms and need.
Zelnorm is a prescription medication for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation in patients younger than 65 years with chronic constipation. In March 2007, Novartis Pharmaceuticals gave FDA the results of new analyses of 29 clinical studies of Zelnorm for treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal tract conditions; the data from all the studies were combined to assess the chance of side effects. In each study, patients were assigned at random to either Zelnorm or a sugar pill they thought was Zelnorm.
The number of patients who suffered a Zelnorm heart attack, stroke or severe heart chest pain that can turn into a heart attack was small. However, patients treated with Zelnorm had a higher chance of having any of these serious and life-threatening side effects than did those who were treated with a sugar pill.
