Kentucky Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit

Did Tepezza cause you to suffer permanent hearing loss or tinnitus? Thomas Law Offices can help.

Our legal team is currently advocating for Tepezza users who developed permanent hearing damage. Schedule a free consultation to learn more about how to file a Tepezza lawsuit. Legal action is currently being taken nationwide to recover compensation for individuals experiencing Tepezza-related hearing loss. You, too, may be entitled to a Tepezza settlement.

Thomas Law Offices is a national law firm with a record of success in complex cases involving defective drugs and medical devices. Contact us for a free case review today.

Why Are People Filing Tepezza Lawsuits?

Tepezza (brand name for teprotumumab-trbw) is an injectable drug manufactured by Horizon Therapeutics (formerly Horizon Pharmaceuticals). It is used to treat thyroid eye disease (TED), also known as Graves’ eye disease. It is currently the only FDA-approved medication used for the treatment of this progressive eye disease.

In recent years, the use of Tepezza has been linked to hearing problems like tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and permanent hearing loss in users.

In August of 2022, the first Tepezza hearing loss case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Daniel Weibel claimed that he suffered permanent hearing loss as a result of taking a course of Tepezza injections over several months in 2020. This Tepezza lawsuit was the first of many more similar to come.

Tepezza lawsuits claim that Horizon Therapeutics failed in its duty to protect consumers from the hearing-related problems caused by its product. A Tepezza lawsuit alleges that Horizon:

• Failed to properly warn patients of the risks associated with the product, and
• Failed to adequately conduct and make use of the results of clinical trial observations.

Do I Qualify To File a Tepezza Lawsuit?

You may be eligible to file a Tepezza lawsuit if you or a loved one were taking Tepezza and suffered permanent hearing loss or tinnitus. A consultation with a qualified law firm is the best way to determine whether you have legal grounds for filing a Tepezza lawsuit.

Your Tepezza lawyers will need to meet with you to determine if you qualify to file a Tepezza hearing loss lawsuit. To help build your case, your legal team may ask you questions related to:

• When you began your Tepezza infusions
• What type of hearing-related events you experienced
• When you were diagnosed with hearing damage
• Any treatments you received for Tepezza-associated hearing loss
• Any medical records your doctor provided linking your hearing-related side effects to taking Tepezza

If you meet the qualifications for filing a Tepezza lawsuit, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Tepezza lawsuits are still in the early stages. Now is the time to build an attorney-client relationship—while the top Tepezza lawyers in the nation are still accepting clients.

What Does Tepezza Treat?

Tepezza received FDA approval to treat thyroid eye disease (TED), or Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that can lead to hyperthyroidism, a condition that causes the thyroid to overproduce hormones. Cigarette smokers are two to eight times more likely to develop TED than non-smokers of the same or similar population.

For sufferers of TED, the body’s own immune system begins to attack the areas around the eyes, causing eye muscles, glands, and fatty tissue behind the eyes to become inflamed. Those diagnosed with TED often exhibit the look of “bulging” or “staring” eyes (known as proptosis) and experience symptoms such as:

• Pain and pressure behind the eyes
• Blurred vision
• Double vision
• Intolerance of bright lights
• Eyelid swelling
• Difficulty moving the eyes
• Gritty feeling in the eyes
• Redness of the eyes and eye lids
• Experiencing decreased brightness in colors

Tepezza Is Currently the Only FDA-approved Drug Used To Treat Thyroid Eye Disease (TED).

To those who suffer Graves’ disease, the emergence of Tepezza on the drug market was a revolution. When the FDA announced the news of the world’s first thyroid eye disease treatment on January 21, 2020, it was heralded as “an important milestone” with “the potential to alter the course of the disease,” according to Wiley Chambers, M.D., deputy director of the Division of Transplant and Ophthalmology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Prior to the injectable drug’s official market release in February 2020, many of the available medical interventions were invasive surgeries that only worked to manage symptoms. As a relatively rare condition affecting only a small percentage of the U.S. population, TED research hadn’t received the kind of funding other, more prevalent diseases had and was subject to many of the obstacles that make developing treatments for rare diseases a particular challenge.

Before Tepezza was released, therapies to treat thyroid eye disease often involved a combination of:

• Eye drops to relieve dryness
• High-dose steroid medications to reduce inflammation
• Selenium supplements to boost thyroid and immune function
• Prism glasses or eye muscle surgery to help with double vision
• Decompression surgery to remove bone and soft tissue from behind the eye to create more space
• Eyelid surgery to improve eyelid function

How Is Tepezza Administered to Patients?

Tepezza is administered as an intravenous (IV) drug. The medication is introduced directly into the patient’s bloodstream by inserting a needle into the patient’s vein, typically in the forearm, through a process called infusion.

Tepezza is given once every three weeks as an infusion. A course of treatment is eight infusions. For most patients, the process takes about five months. After receiving eight IV Tepezza infusions, a patient’s treatment is considered to be completed.

Who Is the Manufacturer of Tepezza?

Horizon Therapeutics, the company formerly known as Horizon Pharmaceuticals and commonly referred to simply as “Horizon,” is the manufacturer of Tepezza.

Horizon is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Dublin with over 2,000 employees worldwide. The company’s pharmaceutical portfolio includes Krystexxa, Rayos (Lodotra), Duexis, Actimmune, and Tepezza.

What Are the Side Effects of Tepezza?

Like all pharmaceutical products, Tepezza is marketed and sold with a list of known possible side effects. Horizon has listed the following possible side effects of which recipients of Tepezza injections should be aware:

• Increase in blood sugar
• Muscle cramps or spasms
• Nausea
• Hair loss
• Diarrhea
• A worsening of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms
• Hearing problems
• Taste changes
• Dry skin
• Headaches
• Changes in menstruation
• Weight loss
• Nail problems
• Fatigue

Horizon notes that this is not a complete list of all possible side effects.

Lawsuits Allege Horizon Hid Hearing Loss-Related Side Effects

The reason Tepezza lawsuits have been steadily increasing since 2021 is related to hearing loss. Hundreds of Tepezza users have had temporary or permanent hearing problems appear after receiving infusions. These patients claim that Horizon did not properly warn them that they could lose their hearing by using Tepezza.

Are these lawsuits valid? Based on the findings of multiple clinical trials, it seems that they are. There is growing evidence to support the claim that Tepezza causes hearing problems, and that Horizon hid this information from the FDA and the public.

Tepezza’s manufacturer received FDA approval after conducting only two small clinical trials. A mere 84 patients were involved in these two clinical trials combined. In the official report, Horizon claimed that fewer than 10% of test subjects experienced hearing problems and that all of these episodes of hearing damage were mild to moderate.

But since the drug’s introduction to the market, more information has emerged.

There is now strong evidence to show that the rate of hearing impairment in Tepezza patients is closer to 65% or higher than 10%. And many of these incidents are not merely temporary hearing loss but completely permanent sensorineural hearing loss (hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve).

Yet Horizon continues to sell Tepezza without adding or amending any of the warning labels it includes with the product.

Hearing-Related Side Effects

Countless Tepezza users have stood up with claims they suffered a hearing-related event subsequent to using Tepezza to treat TED. Hearing loss and tinnitus are among the most commonly reported hearing impairment issues.

Hearing-related side effects linked with Tepezza infusions are:

• Hyperacusis (a hearing disorder associated with sensitivity to sounds)
• Partial or complete hearing damage
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Sensorineural hearing loss
• Autophony (hearing one’s own voice too loudly or with an echo)
• Eustachian tube dysfunction (pressure abnormalities in the middle ear)
• Ear plugging sensation

Can Tepezza Cause Permanent Hearing Loss?

Research is becoming more and more conclusive that Tepezza can, in fact, cause permanent hearing loss. Clinical trials conducted over the past two years have produced a wealth of evidence linking the FDA-approved Tepezza drug with permanent hearing loss that was not disclosed by Horizon when seeking the drug’s approval.

A recent February 2022 study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology showed 22 out of 27 participants—81.5% of patients—developed hearing problems after taking teprotumumab for thyroid eye disease. Many of them continued to experience hearing loss after they stopped treatment.

In another study published by the Endocrine Society in March 2021, 17 out of 26 patients (65% of patients) complained of hearing problems after receiving at least four infusions of the drug. The most common symptoms were hearing loss, tinnitus, ear plugging sensation, and autophony. These symptoms developed after an average of 3.6 infusions.

How To Take Legal Action After Permanent Hearing Loss or Tinnitus

We at Thomas Law Offices are ready to sit down with you and walk you through the legal process of a Tepezza lawsuit. We work hard to make sure that we take the stress of filing a lawsuit off your shoulders.

Taking legal action after Tepezza hearing loss begins with a meeting with an attorney from Thomas Law Offices. We’ll go over the details of your case, look at the documents you provide, interview medical experts, and create a plan of action with you.

When you are represented by Thomas Law Offices, you know you have an advocate who can:

• Investigate the details of your case to prove your right to file a lawsuit
• Handle the paperwork and legal matters with timeliness and professionalism
• Bring an understanding of the federal and state laws that apply to your situation
• Gather the evidence that gives you the best chance of winning your case
• Partner with medical experts who can testify to support your claim
• Negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf
• Defend you in court before a judge and jury

What Damages Can You Recover in a Kentucky Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit?

If you or a loved one suffered hearing loss or persistent ringing in the ears after using Tepezza to treat thyroid eye disease, you may be eligible to recover financial compensation.

A Tepezza lawsuit can help you obtain monetary damages for losses such as:

• Cost of medical care and treatment
• Lost wages
• Lost earning ability
• Hearing aids
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life

How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit Attorney?

Each law firm has its own way of handling attorney’s and legal fees. At Thomas Law Offices, we firmly believe that every person should have equal access to quality legal representation, regardless of current economic status.

Our commitment to upholding this right compels us to offer free case consultations to those seeking legal options and to take most cases on a contingency fee basis.

A contingency fee is a fee only paid when a case is won. It means there are no upfront costs, and you are only obligated to pay for our services if and when we win your case for you. After winning your case, we will take a small percentage of your settlement or verdict award amount as our payment.

Again, there is no cost to meet with a Tepezza attorney at Thomas Law Offices to discuss your case. Simply call or complete our online form to schedule your free consultation.

Claim Your Free Consultation With a Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawyer

Our attorneys are standing by. Learn more about how to file a Tepezza lawsuit by claiming your free case evaluation at Thomas Law Offices today.

As a national law firm, we have the resources to see your Tepezza hearing loss case through to a successful result. And as a Kentucky-based law firm, we have the local roots and connections you’re looking for in a legal advocate.

If you or a loved one developed permanent hearing loss by using Tepezza, you have a legal path forward. Tepezza hearing loss lawsuits are beginning right now all over the county.

Taking control of your life is just a step away. Call us to begin the process now.