CellCept is an immunosuppressant drug used as an anti-rejection mechanism after organ transplantation. It is approved for organ transplantation in adults and for renal transplantation in children over two years of age. Common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, infections, anemia and leucopenia. This drug has been the subject of multiple personal injury and product liability lawsuits on behalf of plaintiffs claiming inadequate warning labels on the drug. CellCept has also been linked with a deadly disease known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
CellCept is prescribed to patients having recently undergone organ transplantation surgery. The drug must be administered within 24 hours after surgery and should be continued indefinitely to prevent the rejection of the organ. CellCept is intended for use by renal, cardiac or hepatic adult transplantation patients and may be used by juvenile renal transplantation patients over age 2. Most patients remain on CellCept for the duration of their lives as the body can begin rejecting an organ at any time.
CellCept has been linked to numerous side effects. CellCept is risky for pregnant women and carries a higher risk of first-trimester miscarriage in those mothers who take the drug. CellCept can also cause birth defects. Women of child-bearing age may be eligible for alternative forms of anti-rejection treatment in order to pursue safe pregnancies. CellCept also weakens the body’s ability to fight infections naturally and patients have reportedly suffered brain infections, viral infections, kidney failure, blood and tissue infections.
In November 2007, the FDA issued its highest-level warning for CellCept and required medical professionals to discuss the risks associated with CellCept, particularly with pregnant women. Lawsuits and potential class actions have commenced across the nation on behalf of patients who died or were severely injured as a result of CellCept side effects