Taxus Stent

What is the TAXUS® stent?
The TAXUS® stent, a medical device manufactured by Boston Scientific Inc, is a small, expandable sleeve of stainless steel mesh used to prop open a coronary artery and improve blood flow in an artery that has been narrowed by coronary artery disease. The TAXUS® stent is a drug eluting stent, (DES): the mesh of the TAXUS® stent is coated with Paclitaxel, a medication intended to prevent the reblocking of the artery, or restenosis. Since the FDA approved the TAXUS® stent in 2004, more than 3 million TAXUS® stents have been implanted in patients in the US and around the world for treatment of coronary artery disease.

The FDA required Boston Scientific to follow patients from their original clinical trials for 5 years after implantation of the TAXUS® stent and also to follow new patients who had the TAXUS® stent implanted.

What health problems are associated with the TAXUS® stent?
The FDA-mandated follow-up studies have found many cases of thrombosis, blood clot formation, at the site of the TAXUS® stent. Blood clots are extremely dangerous, because they can block the artery, causing heart attacks and even death. Patients who have had the TAXUS® stent implanted had higher rates of clotting and death 18 to 36 months after implantation than patients who had bare-metal stents.

Patients who have not developed clots may still need to take expensive antiplatelet medication indefinitely in order to prevent thrombosis.

Some TAXUS® stent recipients have suffered side effects from Paclitaxel, the drug coating. These include

• anemia
• inflammation of the arterial wall
• gastrointestinal disturbances
• hair loss
• muscle and joint pain and muscle weakness
• abnormal liver values
• allergic response

What should you do if you have had a TAXUS® stent implanted?
If you have any symptoms that you feel may be related to the TAXUS® Stent, or if you have questions about its safety, you should immediately consult with your physician.

It is very important to continue any anticlotting medications that have been prescribed.

Should you contact a medical device attorney?
If you or a loved one have had a TAXUS® Stent implanted, and have experienced thrombosis, a heart attack, side effects to Paclitaxel, or other complications, you should contact an experienced medical device attorney immediately for review of a potential claim against Boston Scientific Inc., the manufacturer of the TAXUS® Stent. There are deadlines set by laws, called statutes of limitation, which regulate the filing of lawsuits. These statutes of limitation vary state by state. If you know that you or a loved one was harmed by a TAXUS® Stent, you should not delay in contacting a medical device lawyer. If the statute of limitations expires, your right to pursue a claim against the manufacturer may be forever barred.

How Casey Gerry medical device attorneys can help you with a TAXUS® Stent case
Casey Gerry, based in San Diego, is one of the oldest and most respected personal injury firms in California. We have been involved in high profile nationwide pharmaceutical and defective medical device litigation. Our pharmaceutical litigation includes Rezulin, Propulsid, Metabolife 356, Phenylpropanolamine ("PPA"), Fen-Phen, Baycol, and our defective medical device litigation includes Guidant pacemakers/defibrillators and the Sulzer hip implant.

We represent individuals, rather than class actions, so that we can focus our efforts on the needs of our individual client. Casey Gerry’s team of pharmaceutical and medical device lawyers is currently evaluating claims on behalf of individuals from around the United States who have had a TAXUS® stent surgically implanted.

If you believe that you or a loved one may have been injured as a result of using a TAXUS® stent, please contact us immediately for evaluation by an experienced medical device attorney.