When your doctor recommended taking Tepezza for your Graves’ disease, you hoped that it would improve your symptoms as well as your vision. However, you never thought that by taking Tepezza, you’d be putting your hearing at risk. Unfortunately, many patients who took Tepezza are now reporting that they are experiencing tinnitus, hearing loss, and other hearing-related problems.
If you were prescribed Tepezza and now suffer from hearing loss, you may be able to pursue a claim for compensation against Horizon Therapeutics, the manufacturer of Tepezza. If successful, you could be awarded compensation for the economic and quality-of-life damages you sustained. Product liability lawsuits like Tepezza hearing loss claims also send drug manufacturers a strong message that they cannot continue to create and market medications that may cause serious, irreversible side effects without informing patients of the risks.
You took Tepezza in hopes of improving your eyes, only to learn that the medication may have compromised your hearing. At the law firm of Console & Associates, P.C., we understand your frustration and are actively investigating product liability claims against Horizon Therapeutics. As a part of our investigation, we are scheduling free consultations for patients who took Tepezza and suffered hearing loss. We offer free consultations during which we will explain your rights and what legal options you have to hold Horizon Therapeutics accountable for your hearing loss.
Tepezza is a prescription medication used to treat thyroid eye disease (“TED”), also called Graves’ disease. Thyroid Eye Disease is a progressive autoimmune condition that causes inflammation of the fatty muscle and tissue around the eye. Some people with Graves’ disease experience red and swollen eyes. In more serious cases, the eyes may bulge and cause blurry or double vision.
Tepezza is administered by a healthcare professional by intravenous (IV) infusion. Tepezza is given once every three weeks for a total of eight infusions. It takes about 60-90 minutes to receive the infusion.
Horizon Therapeutics, the manufacturer of Tepezza, claims that the “TEPEZZA reduces eye bulging and double vision. It also improves the signs and symptoms of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), including eye pain, redness, and swelling.”
According to the Food and Drug Administration, Tepezza can cause a variety of side effects, including infusion reactions, worsening of inflammatory bowel disease, and high blood sugar. However, the most common side effects associated with taking Tepezza are muscle spasms, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, fatigue, high blood sugar, dry skin, changes in your taste, and headache.
While neither the creator of Tepezza nor the FDA lists hearing loss as a possible side-effect, many patients have come forward expressing concerns that they began to notice a decrease in their hearing after taking Tepezza. Recently, medical researchers conducted a study in hopes of determining whether there is a link between Tepezza and hearing loss.
“65% of Tepezza users had hearing disorders after taking the medication…” In addition to the disclosed side effects and adverse reactions for those taking Tepezza, one of the most alarming side effects is potentially irreversible hearing loss, which wasn’t mentioned by the manufacturer of Tepezza in any of the drug’s marketing materials. A recent study from Stanford University claims to have found that Tepezza use may cause some patients to suffer serious, long-term and irreversible side effects.
In conjunction with anecdotal reports, the study showed that using Tepezza may cause serious hearing dysfunctions, such as:
Stanford University researchers presented their findings at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. The researchers reported that 65% of Tepezza users had hearing disorders after taking the medication, specifically:
Most people develop these symptoms about halfway through their therapy course.
Given that patients’ reports are relatively recent and that the Stanford study is the only one of its kind, it is too early to say definitively that Tepezza causes long-term hearing loss. However, several of the patients in the study with new hearing symptoms had new or worsening sensorineural hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss can occur when a Tepezza patient experiences damage to the hair cells in their inner ear.
Other patients reportedly developed patulous eustachian tubes. Usually, the eustachian tubes remain closed and open to regulate pressure around the ear drum. Patulous eustachian tube is a disorder that causes the channels between the ear, nose, and throat to remain open.
Some other patients claim to have experienced sensorineural hearing loss. Researchers reported that while a few patients experienced improvement three months after stopping the medication, many continue to report experiencing the adverse effects of Tepezza.
You are not alone.
Yes, one Tepezza patient recently filed a product liability lawsuit alleging that he developed permanent hearing loss after receiving Tepezza infusions. In his claim, the patient asserts that Horizon withheld the extent of hearing loss problems associated with Tepezza use. He argues that the company’s failure to warn of potential hearing loss caused many users, including himself, to suffer tinnitus and other serious hearing-related conditions. Further, the patient claims that Horizon failed to update its warnings to reflect these findings despite post-marketing safety studies indicating a risk of hearing loss.
Horizon maintains that it could not have modified the Tepezza warning label without FDA approval and that the patient failed to assert plausible claims for failure to warn and design defects under state law. However, as more Tepezza users realize the extent of their hearing loss, the company will likely have to face a rising number of product liability claims.
If you were recently diagnosed with unexplained hearing loss after taking a course of Tepezza and are now wondering about the link between Tepezza and hearing loss, Console & Associates, P.C. is here to help. At our product liability law firm, we proudly represent patients who were prescribed Tepezza and believe that the medication caused permanent damage to their hearing.
At Console & Associates, P.C., for more than 25 years, our product liability lawyers have been helping consumers and patients hold corporations accountable for the harms caused by their products. If you or a loved one developed tinnitus or hearing loss after using Tepezza, we can help. If you are interested in learning more about pursuing a Tepezza lawsuit, reach out to an experienced product liability lawyer at Console & Associates, P.C., at 866-778-5500 or complete our contact form. We will attentively listen to your story, answer your questions, and offer you guidance about how you may be able to pursue a claim against the parties responsible for your hearing loss.
