Our law firm has been retained by people who took Avelox and developed severe eye injuries.
Our investigation into a lawsuit against Bayer (manufacturer of Avelox) and Merck (distributor of Avelox) uncovered medical research* suggesting the active ingredient in Avelox (moxifloxacin) can cause a variety of eye conditions, typically characterized by extreme sensitivity to light:
- Uveitis (painful inflammation of eye);
- Iritis (painful inflammation of the iris);
- Acute pigment dispersion syndrome (APDS);
- Iris transillumination;
- Iris hypopigmentation;
- Pigmentary glaucoma; and
- Cornea perforations.
These conditions may require surgical intervention and may result in blindness. The cases we are investigating involve permanent eye damage due to the dispersal of pigment cells in the irises of both eyes. The result is severe light sensitivity (photophobia) and, in some cases, uveitic glaucoma.
Avelox® is an oral (coated tablet) antibiotic with moxifloxacin as the active ingredient. It is used to treat bacterial infections of the lungs, sinuses, skin and intra-abdominal area (inner belly): pneumonia , acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, acute bacterial sinusitis , complicated skin and skin structure infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and intra-abdominal infections.
*1. Hinkle D, Dacey M, Mandelcorn E, Kalyani P, et al. Bilateral uveitis associated with fluoroquinolone therapy. Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology 2012. 31: 111-116.
2. Wefers Bettink-Remeijer M, Brouwers K, Van Langenhove L, De Waard P, Missotten T, Martinez Ciriano J and Van Aken E. Uveitis-like syndrome and iris transillumination after the use of oral moxifloxacin. Eye 2009. 23: 2260–2262. The eye image is from this article.
3. Willermain F, Deflorenne C, Bouffioux C, Janssens X, Koch P and Caspers L. Uveitis-like syndrome and iris transillumination after the use of oral moxifloxacin. Eye 2010. 24: 1419.
4. Merayo-Lloves J, Power WJ, Rodriguez A, Pedroza-Seres M, Foster CS. Secondary glaucoma in patients with uveitis. Ophthamologica 1999. 213(5):300-4.
