Caraco Digoxin Recall Alert!
On March 31, 2009, Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd. announced that all tablets of Caraco brand Digoxin, USP, 0.125 mg, and Digoxin, USP, 0.25 mg, distributed prior to March 31, 2009, which are not expired and are within the expiration date of September, 2011, are being voluntarily recalled to the consumer level. The tablets are being recalled because they may differ in size and therefore could have more or less of the active ingredient, digoxin.
Digoxin is a drug product used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. It has a narrow therapeutic index and the existence of higher than labeled dose may pose a risk of digoxin toxicity in patients with renal failure. Digoxin toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability, and bradycardia. Death can also result from excessive digoxin intake. A lower than labeled dose may pose a risk of lack of efficacy potentially resulting in cardiac instability.
The recalled items include:
A Caraco Digoxin overdose can result in low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, cardiac instability, dizziness, and bradycardia. Bradycardia is a slower than normal heartbeat rate. Vision changes such as halos or light rings around objects, seeing lights and bright colors, experiencing changes in color perception, blind spots in vision, and blurred vision can also occur. Patients can also experience decreased urine output and excessive nighttime urination, overall swelling, decreased consciousness, and difficulty breathing when lying down.
While in cases of death or serious injury, an individual lawsuit is almost always in the best interests of our clients, for individuals who have less serious injuries or damages, we are presently working on a class action lawsuit intended to cover these clients, with the aim of reducing the time, expense and trouble incurred by patients and their loved ones who have been injured by a Caraco Digoxin overdose, but have not suffered a fatal or very serious reaction. Our firm has substantial experience representing consumers in mass actions and class action lawsuits. One of the benefits of a class action is that the absent class members are not required to directly participate in the lawsuit and have no personal potential liability for attorneys fees or costs. For many people, this represents a very important consideration, and we recommend this approach to clients who would prefer to avoid direct participation in a lawsuit.
What Will We Do For Our Caraco Digoxin Clients?
Our firm is handling the Caraco Digoxin cases on a contingency fee basis in which we are not paid a fee unless we are able to recover for our clients. We advance the expenses of the case and if we are successful, we are reimbursed these expenses from the recovery, but if there is no recovery, our client is not required to pay us for the expenses we incurred.* In a typical case, after we have been retained, we will gather the information and documents pertaining to the patient, including medical records and pharmacy records. After all of the necessary information and documents have been obtained, they will be submitted to a qualified professional for review, with the objective being to ascertain whether or not it is likely that illness or injury was caused by the tainted Caraco Digoxin lots that are the subject of the recall. This part of our work up is essentially necessary due diligence to make sure that probably cause exists to file a lawsuit. If we find that probable cause does exist, we will commence a legal action in an appropriate Court. After the lawsuit is filed, the summons and complaint will be served on the Defendants. The next phase of the case involves what is called "discovery." Discovery is the legal process by which the parties to a lawsuit obtain information and documents. Discovery includes the use of subpoenas to obtain documents and testimony, the taking of depositions before a Court Reporter, and service of written requests for information and documents, known as interrogatories, requests for admissions, and inspection demands. During this process it is always possible that the Defendants will seek to settle the case, but if the case does not settle, after discovery is complete, trial preparation will commence. Trial preparation including tasks such as interviewing of witnesses, the retention of expert witnesses, the creation of exhibits for trial, and mapping of trial strategy. In very high percentage of cases, a settlement will be reached prior to the start of trial, but if there is no settlement, Mr. Karen will be a trial lawyer on the case.
*Some states, such as Arizona, prohibit an attorney from advancing the costs of a lawsuit. The practice is permitted in California and in most other states.
If you think you or someone you love may have been harmed by taking Caraco Digoxin, please call us at (858) 259-7790 or contact us online.
Digoxin is a drug product used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. It has a narrow therapeutic index and the existence of higher than labeled dose may pose a risk of digoxin toxicity in patients with renal failure. Digoxin toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability, and bradycardia. Death can also result from excessive digoxin intake. A lower than labeled dose may pose a risk of lack of efficacy potentially resulting in cardiac instability.
The recalled items include:
The active ingredient in Caraco Digoxin is digitalis, a drug that comes from the foxglove plant (digitalis purpurea). All parts of the plant can be poisonous when ingested by people or animals. Bizarrely, Charles Cullen, a nurse, claims to have used Digoxin to kill 45 patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the '80s and '90s.- Caraco Digoxin, USP, 0.125 milligrams. The product is a scored round biconvex yellow tablet imprinted with “437.” Affected national drug codes include 57664-437-88 and 57664-437-18.
- Caraco Digoxin, USP, 0.25 milligrams. The product is a scored round biconvex white tablet imprinted with “441.” Affected national drug codes include 57664-441-88 and 57664-441-18.
Caraco Digoxin is made from the Foxglove plant
A Caraco Digoxin overdose can result in low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, cardiac instability, dizziness, and bradycardia. Bradycardia is a slower than normal heartbeat rate. Vision changes such as halos or light rings around objects, seeing lights and bright colors, experiencing changes in color perception, blind spots in vision, and blurred vision can also occur. Patients can also experience decreased urine output and excessive nighttime urination, overall swelling, decreased consciousness, and difficulty breathing when lying down.
While in cases of death or serious injury, an individual lawsuit is almost always in the best interests of our clients, for individuals who have less serious injuries or damages, we are presently working on a class action lawsuit intended to cover these clients, with the aim of reducing the time, expense and trouble incurred by patients and their loved ones who have been injured by a Caraco Digoxin overdose, but have not suffered a fatal or very serious reaction. Our firm has substantial experience representing consumers in mass actions and class action lawsuits. One of the benefits of a class action is that the absent class members are not required to directly participate in the lawsuit and have no personal potential liability for attorneys fees or costs. For many people, this represents a very important consideration, and we recommend this approach to clients who would prefer to avoid direct participation in a lawsuit.
What Will We Do For Our Caraco Digoxin Clients?
Our firm is handling the Caraco Digoxin cases on a contingency fee basis in which we are not paid a fee unless we are able to recover for our clients. We advance the expenses of the case and if we are successful, we are reimbursed these expenses from the recovery, but if there is no recovery, our client is not required to pay us for the expenses we incurred.* In a typical case, after we have been retained, we will gather the information and documents pertaining to the patient, including medical records and pharmacy records. After all of the necessary information and documents have been obtained, they will be submitted to a qualified professional for review, with the objective being to ascertain whether or not it is likely that illness or injury was caused by the tainted Caraco Digoxin lots that are the subject of the recall. This part of our work up is essentially necessary due diligence to make sure that probably cause exists to file a lawsuit. If we find that probable cause does exist, we will commence a legal action in an appropriate Court. After the lawsuit is filed, the summons and complaint will be served on the Defendants. The next phase of the case involves what is called "discovery." Discovery is the legal process by which the parties to a lawsuit obtain information and documents. Discovery includes the use of subpoenas to obtain documents and testimony, the taking of depositions before a Court Reporter, and service of written requests for information and documents, known as interrogatories, requests for admissions, and inspection demands. During this process it is always possible that the Defendants will seek to settle the case, but if the case does not settle, after discovery is complete, trial preparation will commence. Trial preparation including tasks such as interviewing of witnesses, the retention of expert witnesses, the creation of exhibits for trial, and mapping of trial strategy. In very high percentage of cases, a settlement will be reached prior to the start of trial, but if there is no settlement, Mr. Karen will be a trial lawyer on the case.
*Some states, such as Arizona, prohibit an attorney from advancing the costs of a lawsuit. The practice is permitted in California and in most other states.
If you think you or someone you love may have been harmed by taking Caraco Digoxin, please call us at (858) 259-7790 or contact us online.
