If you or your loved ones are under Antiretroviral medication, it is necessary to check that your prescription drugs are safe for human consumption and do not pose severe health risks. Using Antiretroviral drugs is necessary for any patient dealing with HIV, as they help manage the spread of the virus in your body. Moreover, by reducing viral activity, the drugs promote stronger immunities, meaning that you can avoid suffering from full-blown AIDS. Nevertheless, the vital role that Antiretroviral drugs play should not be a shield for the supply of substandard medication. Exposing patients living with HIV to additional health conditions can cause sudden health deterioration, with reported fatalities in adverse cases.

Previously, many patients have raised complaints about several types of ARVs that created severe health risks and complications after prolonged use. Consequently, mass tort lawsuits have progressed against the manufacturing companies to promote rightful compensation to the plaintiffs. At Consumer Alert Now, we dedicate our legal services to all persons affected by defective products, including medication. With our nationwide services, you get access to legal professionals who can guide you through how to join a mass tort suit against Antiretroviral drug manufacturers.

The Role of Antiretroviral Medicine for HIV Patients

When a patient tests positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), it means that his/her body cells are under attack from the virus. The human body's different physiological processes produce other cells that perform various functions to promote a healthy immune system.

Among these cells, your body relies on white blood cells, also known as CD4 cells, to fight disease-causing microbes that may result in infections. Moreover, the CD4 cells indicate your immune system level, which your doctor uses to track an HIV infection's severity.

Upon diagnosis, your medical professional will prescribe antiretroviral drugs to help manage your immune system and increase your CD4 count. Hence, ARVs work in different ways, depending on their composition.

Others work by inhibiting optimum conditions for virus-cell division and multiplication. In doing so, the drug compounds reduce the growth rate of HIV in your body, giving your white blood cells a better chance of fighting the virus.

Additionally, some medication works to trap the virus cells by enclosing them in their chemical composition and limiting their multiplication. Lastly, you may also find Antiretroviral drugs that offer prophylactic treatment before exposure to the virus, meaning that your body has a placebo to work on and prevent actual infection from spreading.

Antiretroviral Drugs (TDF) with Reported Dangerous Side Effects

Overall, most of the Antiretroviral medicine available for the mentioned purposes falls under the Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) group, combining all three elements in the final product. While different manufacturing processes may yield varying drug combinations, they all consist of TDF compounds that have been associated with long term side effects.

Furthermore, Gilead Sciences inc. is the manufacturing company responsible for manufacturing different brands of Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate medication with serious side effects that could claim the lives of many Antiretroviral drug users.

As a result, the company has been a defendant in multiple civil mass tort cases based on defective products and negligent manufacturing processes. Since Gilead Sciences inc. has manufactured different TDF brands over the years, it is crucial to learn of the other Antiretroviral drugs to protect your loved ones from suffering from adverse medical conditions. The leading ARV brands from the company are:

  1. Viread

Viread is a type of antiretroviral drug, consisting of several drug combinations that work towards managing HIV infection rates. Among the components are Tenofovir, Disoproxil, and Fumarate that create a balancing effect that works against spreading the virus in your body. Usually, Viread prescriptions are available to all adult patients starting on antiretroviral drugs therapy. Patients who are twelve years old and above may also receive Viread medications to manage the spread of HIV.

Your healthcare provider will give you express instructions on your dosages to help you stick to created schedules for taking your drugs. In most cases, patients receive a 300-milligram dose that will be taken once per day. Regular intake of the medicine should manage your CD4 count and slow down the virus from spreading, as long as the patient also maintains a healthy lifestyle and eats a balanced diet.

Despite Viread's usefulness as an antiretroviral drug, multiple side effects arise from its prolonged use. With the expected period that patients should rely on antiretroviral drugs, manufacturers ought to create a drug that poses minimal health risks with extended periods of usage. This way, patients can enjoy the security of using a reliable medication.

Instead, Gilead Sciences Inc. formulated Viread and released it to the market with dangerous health risks to consumers. Hence, you may be prone to the following side effects after using the drug:

Depression

Like most drugs, antiretroviral medication may alter your neurological functions, causing a patient to experience enhanced depression symptoms. Thus, you may notice an increased sense of hopelessness or reduced interest in daily activities, mostly associated with growing depression. After noting recurrent episodes of depression, we recommend speaking to a medical professional who will help run a diagnostic test to determine whether the symptoms occurred using Viread.

Insomnia

Having difficulties with sleep is also a common side effect of using Viread, leading to feelings of restlessness or even irritability. Most patients experience severe insomnia that may leave them sleepless throughout the night or unable to receive continuous sleep. While most people already experience insomnia, your brain requires adequate rest every day to promote proper neurological and physiological functions, especially as your white blood cells fight the virus from spreading. Hence, severe insomnia should be a source of concern, prompting a need for medical analysis.

Severe Liver Complications

Also, patients receiving treatment using Viread are prone to suffering from severe liver problems with extended drug use. Usually, your liver functions to clean out your bloodstream of toxins and any impurities that would otherwise prevent normal body functions.

 Since Viread contains complex chemical combinations for your body to absorb, most elements may end up as impurities in the liver.

Therefore, the continuous accumulation of toxins from the medication overwhelms your liver, leading to adverse complications. When your liver begins to slow down, your body gives off various symptoms that should prompt your attention and have you seek professional care.

Firstly, you many notice liver complications from experiencing severe abdominal pains that last for minutes, hours, or days at a time. You will also notice that the problems do not recede even after taking painkillers or stomach relievers, as the pain trigger starts from your liver.

You are also likely to experience continuous nausea, coupled with vomiting that recurs based on your condition's circumstances. Your nausea may persist despite trying several medications for abdominal pains because they do not directly work on your liver.

Lastly, you may detect liver problems by experiencing jaundice. The condition manifests itself by turning your eyes and parts of your skin into a yellowish color, from possible causes.

 Among the possible causative reasons for jaundice is that your liver is too overwhelmed to filter dead red blood cells known as bilirubin. They occur in a yellow color that then accumulates and results in jaundice.

Bone Density Problems

The medication can also affect your bone mass, leaving your general bone structure weaker than usual. Usually, your bones should have sufficient mineral supply to support your body frame without any feelings of pain.

Hence, if you are prone to bone loss from previous conditions, it is essential to take accelerated bone weakness symptoms seriously. Several conditions related to low bone density may occur, depending on a patient's body structure. Among the different disorders, osteoporosis manifests itself more frequently.

A patient suffering from the condition will experience sudden bone density loss, meaning that he/she can easily suffer from bone fractures. Moreover, the disease causes chronic pain at different bone joints, leading to strained movement.

Lactic Acidosis

Viread has also caused many patients lactic acidosis, which causes abnormal retention of lactic acid in the gut. Since your stomach has a larger capacity to hold food, enzymes, and acids for digestion, it suffers the most from the lactic acidosis condition.

Eventually, the retention of toxic acidic compounds in your body gives rise to further health complications, including difficulty breathing, muscle pains, and discoloration of your skin. While different patients experience varying symptoms from lactic acidosis, they all pose significant risks from the additional complications they bring, on top of dealing with HIV.

  1. Truvada (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)

The second TDF brand produced by Gilead Sciences Inc. is Truvada, a drug that works as pre-exposure Prophylaxis(PREP). The PREP medication is useful for patients who have tested negative for HIV but are at high risk of contracting the virus.

Upon taking the medication, it should prevent your body from exposure to the virus, despite open contact with causative agents like blood. With PREP medication like Truvada, partners are safe when engaging in sexual intercourse. However, it is always advisable to use condoms for additional protection.

Truvada prescriptions direct patients to take one tablet a day as you take meals or after eating. Since the medication contains potent agents, patients are strongly advised to follow directives on taking the medication with food to avoid extreme abdominal damage cases.

Despite following precautionary guidelines, however, the drug has still posed severe risks to users. Since the medication includes Tenofovir and Emtriva, patients may experience chronic kidney damage. Various symptoms of the condition include painful abdominal cramps, nausea, and, eventually, renal failure.

With adverse symptoms attacking your body, you should contact a medical professional to identify the exact cause of each symptom about Truvada.

Additionally, multiple osteoporosis cases occur from continuous use of Truvada, leading to bone weakness and pain. The condition can also pave the way for future complications, including fractures and osteoarthritis in patients with underlying conditions like arthritis.

  1. Atripla

Thirdly, Atripla Antiretroviral drugs have also created severe health risks for their users. Gilead Sciences inc. created the drug by combining Emtricitabine, Tenofovir, and Efavirenz. By combining all three elements, the medicine functions to inhibit HIV nuclei, thus reducing the multiplication rate.

One of the components, Efavirenz, is a non-nucleoside element that serves towards controlling HIV-1 infection. However, the drug is relatively more toxic because your body does not absorb it quickly. Therefore, Atripla prescriptions require patients to take it strictly on an empty stomach and combine it with other medicine for better absorption.

While the manufacturing company had access to alternative options like Tenofovir alafenamide fumarate, it chose to release Atripla to the market, despite its proven toxicity, mainly when used for long.

The most severe side effect reported from using Atripla is renal failure leading to death. Doubtless, the toxic combinations in the drug will significantly affect your kidney's performance, meaning that they cannot filter impurities from your system.

Hence, kidney disease may precede the renal failure, meaning that you may also face invasive surgery for transplants. Your bone density may also reduce to unhealthy levels that pave the way for conditions like osteoporosis and fractures related to low bone densities.

  1. Complera

Antiretroviral therapy using Complera is specific to patients who have undergone similar processes in the past. Since medicine provides a comprehensive treatment process, your prescription will not include additional drugs to take alongside medications.

Like other Antiretroviral medicine manufactured by Gilead Sciences inc., Complera contains Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, often associated with adverse side effects with prolonged use.

Please note that Complera contains emtricitabine and rilpivirine, which require fatty acids for proper absorption. Hence, your medical professional will advise you to take your tablet with a fatty meal to encourage better absorption.

Like other TDF drugs, Complera also puts your kidneys and bone density at risk from Tenofovir's toxic levels in the drug. Subsequently, a patient under Complera prescription may experience kidney-related complications, including:

  • Renal failure
  • Severe kidney disease
  • Abnormal urine composition, with high protein levels

Additionally, you may experience severe bone demineralization and osteoporosis from diminished bone density. The complications may also bring forth subsequent symptoms like weight loss, fatigue, and vivid dreams.

  1. Stribild

Lastly, Stribild is also a common combination drug used to manage HIV infections. However, unlike similar brands from Gilead Sciences inc., Stribild prescriptions are based on the fulfillment of specific requirements to promote the drug's effectiveness.

Firstly, a patient must take the same medication for at least six months before switching to a different prescription. Additionally, your immune system should have a viral load of at least 50 copies per mL. Your medical professional should ensure that the HIV cells have not undergone mutation to build resistance.

Despite undergoing several pre-prescription checks, patients still report severe side effects from using Stribild, with most conditions putting people's life at risk. Osteopenia is among the prevalent complications of the drug, whereby your muscles ache and become softer than usual.

Also, kidney disease and lactic acidosis may occur, creating severe abdominal pains and loss of appetite. Consequently, an affected person may become weaker and more prone to new infections based on the compromised renal system.

How to Join a Mass Tort Civil Suit Against Gilead Sciences inc. Manufacturers

As established, Gilead Sciences inc. is the manufacturing company responsible for producing and distributing all the five different types of Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate medication.

As a result, filing a mass tort related to defective drugs is beneficial because it helps you and other afflicted consumers receive rightful compensation for the harm caused.

Despite the availability of legal remedies after suffering from the TDF's severe side effects, drugs help to remember that mass torts involve a series of procedures before admission in court. Therefore, working with experienced legal professionals who are conversant with filing mass torts for defective medication is essential.

The first step towards joining a mass tort case against the drug manufacturers involves holding a consultation meeting with your defective product lawyer, who will assess your case facts and determine whether you qualify for a suit.

We recommend providing exact details regarding your first prescription during your meeting, and when you first noticed severe symptoms from using TDF Antiretroviral medicine. Mentioning the medical facility you received HIV therapy from also helps your attorney to contact relevant medical professionals when official investigations and gathering of evidence begins.

After the initial meeting with your lawyer, he/she will direct you to take a diagnostic test with your doctor to gather certified information about the drug's side effects. Taking the tests is crucial because the results serve as evidence to show the direct link between your TDF medication conditions and consumption.

Upon receiving your diagnostics test results, your attorney can then proceed to apply for class certification on your behalf. You will need the certificate to join a mass tort civil case, as it validates an existing link between you and the defendant in the matter. The presiding judge or jury can assess your case's facts and elements to verify that your issue should proceed to trial.

Once your case, along with several others, proceed to the trial stage, the normal process ensues. Usually, each individual will have a chance to present his/her case, primarily because side effects affect patients differently. 

Working closely with your lawyer in preparation for trial is highly advisable, mainly because the court requires a high standard of proof concerning your allegations.

Hence, your legal professionals' team will work hard to source different evidence types, including medical records, prescription guidelines, and testimonies. In gathering all these sources, the main goal should be to establish a credible link between your subsequent medical complications.

Compensatory Claims to Include in Your Mass Tort Suit

Before moving into the trial, you need to provide a comprehensive overview of all your compensation claims, based on the severity of your bodily side effects. Some requests to include in your suite include:

  1.  Compensation for Loss of Income and Earning Capacity

When you suffer from adverse complications after using TDF medication produced by Gilead Sciences inc., they may limit your working capacity. For example, after dealing with severe osteoporosis, your bones may become too weak to sustain specific careers.

Hence, if you were a dancer, construction worker, or filled any other job position where mobility was the main factor, you may lose your source of income and future earning capacity. Therefore, the defendants should compensate you for the inconvenience caused by consuming their medical products, as you would have otherwise evaded medical complications.

  1. Compensation for Medical Expenses

Naturally, you will have to undertake multiple consultations and therapy sessions to control disorders caused by defective TDF medication. On top of managing HIV, you will have to allocate specific funds for different processes to prevent the drugs' effects.

For example, if you suffered from severe kidney disease, you may have to begin regular dialysis or even undergo a transplant operation. Since the medical procedures require constant supervision and process repetition, you will eventually accumulate expensive medical bills that may even supersede your insurance company's benefit plan.

  1. Pain and Suffering

Most side effects of TDF medication also cause chronic pains, depending on the symptoms you face. Subsequently, you have a right to receive compensation for the suffering and pain endured throughout your recovery period. 

Your body may also undergo irreversible changes, causing psychological stress, among other stressful conditions. Since your TDF drug consumption did not anticipate any current needs, the defendants will be answerable to all harm caused and should pay for damages caused.

  1. Wrongful Death of a Loved One

In unfavorable circumstances, patients may succumb to severe side effects caused by TDF Antiretroviral medicine. The conditions are prevalent where the patient's immunity was already unstable from a high HIV viral load. Thus, the additional complications can easily lead to complete health deterioration, resulting in death.

After losing a loved one, the deceased's estate may work with a defective product lawyer to seek wrongful death compensation. Among the claims to raise include loss of consortium and financial support when the victim was alive.

If your lawyer successfully proves a link between the defective drugs and the patient's death, you can recover damages to support the estate.

Contact Defective Product Legal Experts Near Me

When you or a loved one has HIV, circumstances may be challenging as it is. Therefore, when you suffer from additional complications arising from defective medication, you deserve a fair judicial process to receive compensation. The manufacturing companies tasked with providing TDF Antiretroviral medicine should uphold high standards of care and professionalism to maintain patients' safety above all other factors.

When you decide to seek compensation for the caused harm, you will need to join a mass tort suit for a proper court process. Thus, partnering with a well-experienced legal expert team will pave the way for a smooth litigation process. We at Consumer Alert Now focus on giving our clients the best legal guidance on defective products and providing excellent support in mass tort litigation services. With our help, you can forward your grievances to court and advocate for justified compensation from harmful ARV medication consumption. Call us today at 800-511-0747.