Gadolinium NSF Side Effects Lawsuit News:

Woman sues drugs giant over jab she blames for ruining her life

-DailyRecord

02/01/2010 - A woman claims she has been left wheelchairbound and warned she could die because of a drug given before a routine scan.

Doctors have been advised to stop using Omniscan on certain patients since Margaret Roxburgh's ordeal.

Now Margaret, 54, is taking the drug's makers to court.

She was found to have Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) days after being injected. Omniscan is a chemical marker that works in the bloodstream to help doctors analyse scan results.

Within 24 hours of being given the drug, before a routine MRA scan in 2006, Margaret's legs had swollen to double their normal size and she was suffering searing hot pains. Days later, her hair had fallen out.

She said: "Doctors told me that because of what happened to me, no one else in the UK with severe kidney problems should be given Omniscan. It's no comfort to me, although I'm relieved no one else will suffer what I've had to.

"But I've been left living with a death sentence.

"My legs are like lumps of wood, and the NSF is spreading to other parts of my body.

"I can't run and play with my four grandchildren. I'm virtually housebound and in constant agony."

Margaret, of Craigend, in Glasgow's East End, is suing makers GE Healthcare Ltd and GE Healthcare UK Ltd, subsidiaries of the US giant General Electric, for £150,000.

A similar class action in the US has around 500 claimants.

She had the injection of Omniscan - also known as gadodiamide - at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital in September 2006.

Margaret believes the active chemical gadolinium caused the aggressive condition, which attacks muscles, joints and organs.

Glasgow consultant radiologist Giles Roditi told colleagues in 2007 that Scottish researchers had confirmed at least 16 cases of NSF in renal patients following scans.

Watchdog body, the Medicines, and Healthcare Regulatory Agency now recommend Omniscan should not be given to patients with severe kidney dysfunction, liver patients who are about to receive, or have recently received, a transplant or newborn babies up to four weeks of age.

They also say patients should have kidney function tests prior to use.

The Commission on the Safety of Human Medicines in the UK issued letters to doctors advising against the use of gadolinium in June 2007.

And a GE statement confirms: "Post-marketing reports show that the use of these agents increases the risk of the development of a serious medical condition called NSF."

But Margaret has been refused legal aid to fight her case.

Her lawyer said: "I'm simply astonished.

"Perhaps the Scottish Legal Aid Board have not properly considered the importance of this case, not just for Margaret but for all the other people who may be suffering out there."

GE spokeswoman Lynne Gailey said: "GE Healthcare was one of the first gadolinium-based contrast agent manufacturers to co-operate fully and actively engage with Regulatory Authorities and healthcare professionals.

"A 'Dear Healthcare Professional' letter was sent by GEHC in the UK on August 10, 2006.

"The letter specifically referred to NSF being a rare condition which, according to available information, has only been observed in patients with chronic, severely impaired renal function."

If you or a loved one have experienced Gadolinium side effects you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Gadolinium attorneys of Ennis & Ennis today for a free confidential case evaluation. Our on staff nurse and lawyers are standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding Gadolinium side effects, a possible Gadolinium lawsuit, or any other type of Gadolinium litigation.