NeutroSpec, an imaging agent used by doctors to help diagnose infections, was withdrawn from the market after it was linked to serious complications, including the deaths of two patients.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2005 requested that Palatin Technologies Inc. withdraw NeutroSpec pending review of severe adverse reactions associated with the use of the drug. Doctors were urged to immediately stop using NeutroSpec.
According to news reports two patients died and 20 fell seriously ill within minutes of being administered NeutroSpec, with complications including cardiovascular problems such as drops in blood pressure and heart attacks. Another 46 people suffered less serious reactions.
Those affected were largely older, from 45 to 80 years old, but some patients who experienced adverse reactions were also younger, including one teenager.
If you or a loved one suffered a severe injury or death due to a reaction to NeutroSpec, you may want to contact a NeutroSpec lawyer for a free evaluation of your legal case.
Palatin put NeutroSpec on the market in July 2004 to help doctors diagnose difficult cases of appendicitis and the drug later also was used to detect other infections, particularly those in bones. Neutro Spec is injected into the body and contains a medicine that attaches to white blood cells, immune agents that travel to infections. It also contains a radioactive agent that doctors, using an X-ray, can then use to spot gathering white blood cells and thus the source of infections.
But some patients had rapid reactions to Neutro Spec, experiencing shortness of breath and sudden drops in blood pressure. Two patients died of heart attacks and others suffered cardiopulmonary failure and required resuscitation.
NeutroSpec is made by Palatin and marketed by Tyco Healthcare Mallinckrodt, a subsidiary of corporate giant Tyco. The drug was administered to about 11,000 people since it was approved in 2004. Palatin said it had sales of $9.8 million from September 2004 to September 2005.
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