Remicade, a TNF-alpha blocker drug, is used to suppress the immune system in people who suffer from arthritis and other ailments. It is a powerful drug that carries a black box warning, but many doctors and patients simply don't know how bad the side effects can be – because the manufacturer hasn't warned them.

Remicade, Humira, Enbrel, Cimzia & Simponi

According to Florida Attorney Douglass Kreis, manufacturers of TNF-alpha blockers such as Remicade (infliximab), Humira (adalimuma), Enbrel (etanercept), Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) and Simponi (golimumab) have a duty to provide sufficient and clear information to prescribing physicians and the consuming public, but have not fulfilled that duty. He believes that those manufacturers have known about the causal relationship between their drugs and fungal infection adverse reactions for a long time, but have not warned doctors or consumers. He told us:

The adequacy of the warnings provided in the drugs’ labels or package inserts have been the focal point of our investigation and will likely be the issue upon which the cases are decided. Particularly, in situations where the suspected side effect or adverse drug event is as serious as histoplasmosis, or Darling's Disease, the manufacturers had a clear duty to provide sufficient and clear information to prescribing physicians and the consuming public.

Histoplasmosis / Darling's Disease: Case in point

One Remicade patient has been on the drug since 2002 to treat Crohn's Disease, an inflammation of the bowel. However, after a few years on the drug, she began to have flu like symptoms that progressively got worse. She underwent test after test and was even diagnosed, wrongly, with lung disease at one point. Her doctors simply had no idea why Remicade was causing her to experience these side effects. She was ultimately diagnosed with Acute Histoplasmosis, or Darling's Disease, and suffers from permanently damaged lungs – something that may have been avoided had Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc., Remicade's manufacturer, told doctors and patients about the likelihood of the drug's side effects. Centocor has already paid $20 million to one woman injured by Remicade and legal experts say more lawsuits are likely.

$20M Remicade verdict

A Texas woman was awarded $20M ($15M of that was for punitive damages against the manufacturer) after contracting Lupus while on Remicade. The jury found that the manufacturer did not warn her about the possible side effects of taking the drug. If you've been injured due to one of these TNF-alpha blockers, contact a products liability attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options.