The lawyers at Johnson//Becker are pursuing litigation against the manufacturer of Tepezza.
To contact us for a Free Case Evaluation, please visit our contact form or dial (800) 279-6386. We would be honored to speak with you and respond promptly to every inquiry we receive.
Tepezza was supposed to be a groundbreaking drug treatment for a vexing eye disorder, known as Thyroid Eye Disease, or TED. However, recipients of the drug intended to treat one sense, vision, are associated with permanent damage to another sense, hearing.
In a lawsuit filed on Aug. 25, 2022, David Weibel alleges his use of Tepezza (also known as teprotumumab) for thyroid eye disease was the cause of his permanent hearing loss.
Johnson//Becker filed the lawsuit on Weibel’s behalf, the first of many Tepezza hearing loss lawsuits.
Weibel’s lawsuit alleges that Horizon Pharmaceuticals Inc. failed to warn him or his doctors that the medication could cause hearing loss and/or tinnitus, according to the Complaint in Weibel’s lawsuit.
Tepezza Multidistrict Litigation
As of June 2, 2023, the Tepezza lawsuits have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Illinois. More than 40 lawsuits are on file and included in the MDL. On June 29, 2023, Judge Thomas Durkin issued an Order appointing Johnson//Becker partner Timothy Becker as Co-Lead Counsel for plaintiffs.
Lead Counsels in an MDL are responsible for representing the interests of all plaintiffs in litigation.
Since multidistrict litigations combine a larger number of plaintiffs into one court, there is a need for lawyers to represent the group. Along with the appointments for Co-Lead counsel, Judge Durkin also appointed a Steering Committee of lawyers to work together to lead the litigation.
With two decades of law practice, Tim Becker will be coordinating with the leadership team and counsel for all plaintiffs and guiding the team of lawyers for the court.
Johnson//Becker is currently representing a number of clients suffering from hearing loss side effects after using Tepezza.
Thyroid Eye Disease
Thyroid eye disease, a condition that includes Graves’ eye disease, is a chronic inflammation of the muscle or tissue in and around the eye. The disease causes swelling of the eye or eyelid which creates a bulging appearance, and in some cases produces double vision.
According to Tepezza’s own label, as cited in Weibel’s Complaint, the “mechanism of action in patients with thyroid eye disease has not been fully characterized.”
Horizon Pharmaceuticals “willfully, wantonly and intentionally conspired, and acted in concert, to ignore relevant safety concerns and to deliberately not study the safety and efficacy of Tepezza,” according to the Complaint. As a result of the corporation’s negligence, Weibel suffered physical pain, mental anguish, medical expenses, and a diminished quality of life.
Recent Tepezza Lawsuits Filed by Johnson//Becker, PLLC
First Known Tepezza Lawsuit Filed by Johnson//Becker, PLLC Alleging Hearing Loss – In a lawsuit filed on August 25, David Weibel claims his use of Tepezza for thyroid eye disease was the cause of permanent hearing loss.
Johnson//Becker, PLLC Files Second Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit – In a lawsuit filed by Johnson//Becker attorneys, Lisa Nethery, a resident of North Carolina, alleges Tepezza caused “permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus,” according to the Complaint.
Two More Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuits Filed by Johnson//Becker, PLLC – According to the Complaints, “[Horizon’s] fraudulent and illegal conduct with respect to Tepezza caused thousands of individuals, including [Walker], to develop severe and permanent hearing loss.”
Tepezza Lawyers File Three Additional Hearing Loss Lawsuits – Three more plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against the manufacturer of Tepezza, a drug prescribed for the treatment of thyroid eye disease, alleging that taking the medication caused long-term hearing issues.
Tepezza Hearing Loss Side Effects Studies
According to the Complaint, clinical testing submitted to the FDA for teprotumumab consisted of just two trials, with only 84 patients taking the brand-new compound. Reports of hearing loss in the trials were represented as “temporary and generally of limited duration.”
A subsequent report, documenting adverse effects after Tepezza hit the market and capturing the experience of thousands of patients, found 10 percent of recipients reported either hearing loss, tinnitus, or both. Meanwhile, numerous publications conducted by doctors dating back to August 2021 have discussed the association of those side effects with the use of Tepezza.
A 2022 study of the use of Tepezza in 27 patients found that a clear majority (81.5 percent) reported some form of hearing dysfunction during the course of their taking Tepezza. Some of those suffering from auditory side effects would later report their symptoms had resolved. However, five of the 27 patients reported long-term hearing loss, including two who had subsequently begun to use hearing aids. “Hearing loss is a concerning adverse event” following the use of Tepezza, according to the study authors.
In a review of the study, Dr. Richard C. Allen wrote that its results supported previous findings of “potentially irreversible” hearing issues in patients who take Tepezza. “This risk should be explicitly discussed with patients prior to treatment with [Tepezza],” Allen wrote, “especially in those patients with baseline hearing loss.”
Other reports of Tepezza and hearing loss
- A 61-year-old woman who reported hearing loss during her course of treatment with Tepezza was then treated with steroids, and elected to forgo future doses of Tepezza; four months later, her hearing had still not returned to normal.
- A 74-year-old woman experienced “rapidly progressive worsening” of hearing loss during her Tepezza treatment, while a 42-year-old man began to experience tinnitus.
- A woman taking teprotumumab stopped taking the drug after exhibiting “significantly worse” hearing than prior to treatment; six weeks later her side effect symptoms remained.
- A 57-year-old woman suffered first from tinnitus, then from hearing loss during her Tepezza treatment, which she subsequently paused; doctors reported they could “attribute the new hearing loss to teprotumumab treatment.”
- A 77-year-old woman experienced “severe” hearing loss following her fourth dose of Tepezza which continued to occur seven months after her final treatment; she had begun use of a hearing aid and was considering cochlear implants to counteract the hearing loss side effect.
Questions About a Tepezza Lawsuit? Contact a Johnson//Becker Lawyer for a Free Case Review.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with any form of hearing loss after taking Tepezza, our lawyers would like to speak with you. You may be entitled to financial compensation.
We offer a Free Case Evaluation. Please contact us using the form below or by calling us at (800) 279-6386.
We would be honored to speak with you and respond promptly to every inquiry we receive.
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