Motrin is a brand name for Ibuprofen (Advil, etc)

http://www.wnbc.com/health/4030295/detail.html

Lawsuit Claims Children's Motrin Causes Severe Side Effects

POSTED: 3:37 pm EST December 28, 2004
UPDATED: 5:09 pm EST December 28, 2004

LOS ANGELES -- The parents of a 7-year-old girl on Tuesday sued the makers
of Children's Motrin and several other companies that distribute the
painkiller, claiming their daughter lost her eyesight and suffered other
severe side effects after taking the medication.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Sabrina Brierton Johnson of Los Angeles,
seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against New
Jersey-based health care giant Johnson & Johnson, subsidiary McNeil
Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, and several other firms, including
retailers Ralphs Grocery and Albertsons Inc.'s Sav-On pharmacies.

Johnson & Johnson is based in New Brunswick, N.J.

In their lawsuit, Kenneth and Joan Brierton Johnson accuse the defendants
of negligence, breach of warranty and of concealing from consumers and
doctors potential health risks of taking the flu and pain medication,
specifically the risk of developing two disorders -- Stevens-Johnson
Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis -- which are typically caused by an
adverse reaction to a drug or virus.

Sabrina took Children's Motrin drops on Sept. 8, 2003, after she came home
from school complaining of a fever. The girl had no known drug allergies,
according to the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The next morning, she woke up with a high fever and other symptoms,
including a pink coloration in her eyes and sores in her mouth. She was
hospitalized, but a day later she was blind in both eyes.

Doctors later concluded Sabrina had contracted Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
from taking Children's Motrin, according to the lawsuit. Since then,
Sabrina has undergone multiple eye surgeries.

"In the name of children everywhere, our family wants Children's Motrin
taken off the market until it carries a warning label about the risk of
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and describes its symptoms," the girl's mother
said in a statement.

The complaint also alleges the companies knew of a connection between the
medication and the disorders from their own clinical tests dating back to
the late 1980s, and even included warnings of such risks with the drug
before it became available without a prescription.

The retailers who sold Children's Motrin and another defendant, Cardinal
Health Inc., knew or had reason to know the drug had "design flaws," the
lawsuit also claims.

Bonnie Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Fort Washington, Pa.-based McNeil, which
manufactures Children's Motrin, said McNeil and Johnson & Johnson were
aware of a report that a 7-year-old girl allegedly developed
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome after taking the medication.

"As the makers of Children's Motrin products, we are deeply concerned by
all matters relating to our products and we are investigating the
situation," Jacobs said.

She declined to discuss the case further.

Representatives of Sav-On and pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Corp.,
also a defendant, declined to comment citing company policy against
discussing pending litigation.

Messages left at the offices Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health and Kroger
Co.'s Ralphs chain were not immediately returned Tuesday.

A similar lawsuit was filed against the makers of Children's Motrin in
March 2003. In that federal lawsuit, filed in San Jose, the parents of a
then 9-year-old girl alleged the medication left their daughter unable to
see, speak or eat, and accused Johnson & Johnson and McNeil of failing to
adequately test the drug for over-the-counter use and to properly warn the
public.
? 2004 by The Associated Press.