Soriatane is the trade name of a medication prescribed for treating severe psoriasis in adults. It is a retinoid, which is a form of vitamin A. It does not cure psoriasis, which may return after a person stops taking it.
In 2003 the manufacturer of Soriatane added a new warning to the medication’s label. It stated that Soriatane could cause depression, thoughts of self-harm, e.g., suicide, and aggression. As of that time, Soriatane had been on the market for six years. Soriatane is in the same category as the acne drug Accutane, whose warning lists suicide, psychosis, and depression as side effects.
In addition, Soriatane is known to cause significant congenital disabilities if it is taken during pregnancy, so the drug cannot be prescribed to women of childbearing age unless they agree to use approved birth control methods and submit to pregnancy testing while taking it and for at least 3 years after they stop taking it.
What Are the Side Effects of Taking Soriatane?
Soriatane’s most common side effects are abdominal pain, headaches, diarrhea, skin infections, and earaches. Soriatane has also been linked with liver damage, depression, and aggressive behavior.
Some other possible side effects are as follows:
- Hair loss;
- Chapped lips, dry skin, eyes, and mouth;
- Bleeding gums and nose bleeds;
- Increased sensitivity to sunlight, so the risk of sunburn;
- Peeling fingertips and changes in fingernails;
- Changes in triglyceride levels;
- Headaches, sometimes with nausea and vomiting;
- Joint pain;
- Decreased vision at night;
- Jaundice, a liver condition that can cause the eyes and skin to become yellow;
- Elevated liver enzymes.
Who Should Not Take Soriatane?
A person is advised not to take Soriatane if they are pregnant or planning to get pregnant because it can lead to congenital disabilities. Women of childbearing age cannot be prescribed Soriatane until they have tested negative for pregnancy twice. They must use two effective forms of birth control beginning at least one month before they start taking the medication, while on the drug, and for three years after stopping Soriatane treatment.
This is because significant fetal abnormalities were reported by women who were taking Soriatane during their pregnancies. Again, the abnormalities included neurologic and skeletal deformities.
Furthermore, Soriatane is available to women only if they agree to use approved birth control methods and undergo required pregnancy testing while taking it and for at least 3 years after their last dose. Again, the message is that Soriatane creates a risk of congenital disabilities.
In addition, progestin-only birth control pills may not be effective in preventing pregnancy for a woman taking Soriatane, so women are advised to avoid using this kind of pill as their primary method of birth control while taking Soriatane.
A person who has any of the following is also advised not to take Soriatane:
- Severe liver or kidney disease;
- High triglycerides, which are a type of fat in the blood that can lead to heart disease;
- Allergy to retinoids such as Soriatane.
People should not donate blood while being treated with Soriane and for three years after stopping treatment. Donated blood could expose pregnant women to the active ingredient in Soriatane and cause congenital disabilities.
Women of childbearing age must not drink alcohol while taking Soriatane and for at least 2 months after they take their last dose. This is because alcohol can cause Soriatane to convert to another substance in the body that can take as long as 3 years or more to be cleared out of the body. Again, this could increase the risk of congenital disabilities.
What If I Have Been Injured by Soriatane?
If a person has suffered any of the injuries described above as side effects of Soriatane, they would want to consult a personal injury lawyer about filing a strict product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer for any of the following defects:
- Design Defects: A drug design defect would be negative side effects that the manufacturer knew or should have known about but which did not appear through testing before it was marketed;
- Manufacturing Defects: These would be defects in the medication that arise when the components are faulty, e.g., the ingredients were tainted, unsafe, or otherwise not the right ingredients;
- Warning Defects: Regarding prescription drugs, warning defects are usually called “failure to warn.” They arise when the drug manufacturer does not provide the physicians who prescribe drugs and their users with adequate warnings about possible negative side effects of using the drug.
It should be noted that filing a lawsuit under a “failure to warn” theory of strict product liability is generally not possible if the drug is a generic medication. This is because of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2013, which held that the companies making generic drugs could not be held liable under “failure to warn” laws.
In a “failure to warn” case, for example, if a person gives birth to an infant with congenital disabilities and can show that the drug manufacturer knew or should have known that their medication caused congenital disabilities, they could be liable under strict product liability law for failure to warn.
In the case of Soriatane at the current time, there are clear prerequisites before Soraitane can be prescribed and sold to a woman of childbearing age. If the medication were to be prescribed to a woman of childbearing age without requiring that she follow the strict protocol necessary to protect against congenital disabilities, the doctor who prescribed the drug might be liable for medical malpractice.
Again, if a pharmacy were to sell Soriatane to a woman of childbearing age without knowing that she had followed the required protocol of pregnancy testing and birth control use, the pharmacy could be sued for malpractice also.
Specifically, if a pharmacist fails to counsel a patient regarding side effects and drug interactions, they can be liable for negligence. In the case of Soriatane, for example, a pharmacist should advise a female patient of childbearing age of the numerous precautions they must take before they can be safely treated with Soriatane.
In each of these cases, a person who Soriatane has injured would be able to recover compensatory damages. The damage award would cover all of the costs of necessary medical treatment for their injuries. In addition, damages should compensate for lost wages, future medical costs and lost wages. It would also cover any loss of earning capacity and compensate for permanent disability and disfigurement.
Finally, damages would compensate the victim for their pain and suffering. In some cases, if the conduct of the drug manufacturer, physician, or pharmacist was especially blameworthy, an award of punitive damages might be made.
Do I Need the Help of a Lawyer for My Soriatane Issue?
If you or a loved one have experienced Soriatane’s more serious side effects, you need to consult a class action attorney for guidance. Your attorney can enlist the help of experts to review the facts of your case to determine whether your injuries were caused by taking Soriatane and how the manufacturer, physician, or pharmacy may have been at fault.
They can tell if a failure to warn of side effects or negligence by your doctor or pharmacy was a factor. Your attorney can help you protect your rights and get the compensation you may be entitled to for your losses.
