A Manitoba man who was prescribed medication to treat his arthritis says he suffered blood clots and other side-effects from the drug, and is suing the pharmaceutical company that makes the medication.
The patient was prescribed Rinvoq in August 2023 to manage his arthritis linked to ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine, according to a statement of claim filed Sept. 11 with Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg.
In January 2024, he went to his family doctor because he was experiencing swelling in his legs.
The doctor advised him to go to the hospital immediately, the lawsuit says, and an ultrasound then determined the patient had a blood clot in his left leg. There was also swelling in his right leg.
There was “extensive deep vein thrombosis,” or blood clotting, throughout his left leg, the court document says. The blood clot was treated with a prescription that required injections for five days and medication for six months.
In addition to the blood clot, he also had gastrointestinal tears and a hernia in the abdomen, the lawsuit says.
His health-care provider told him the blood clots were side-effects associated with taking Rinvoq, and advised him to stop taking the medication according to the statement of claim.
Second blood clot
The man suffered another blood clot in his left leg around July 2025, about a year and a half after the first blood clot, the lawsuit says.
His doctor confirmed that when a blood clot happens, it can cause damage that leads to a second blood clot, the suit says.
In 2022, Health Canada issued a public advisory about a number of medications, including Rinvoq, that are potentially linked to a risk of health effects such as blood clots.
The man is now suing Rinvoq’s manufacturer, AbbVie Corp., which has a registered office in Montreal.
The lawsuit alleges AbbVie was negligent regarding the safety and efficacy of the medication, and failed to give adequate or timely warning about its side-effects.
AbbVie failed to “conduct sufficient testing to evaluate the safety of Rinvoq,” the lawsuit alleges.
It says that if he had known he would experience the side-effects from Rinvoq, the patient would not have used it.
“If the defendant had conducted sufficient testing and the plaintiff had been adequately warned about the risks of Rinvoq, he would have been better able to evaluate whether the benefits of Rinvoq outweigh its potential side-effects,” the court document says.
It alleges he has suffered major side-effects and emotional distress, and his quality of life has deteriorated significantly as a result of the experience.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
The allegations have not been tested in court and AbbVie has not filed a statement of defence.
CBC News also reached out to the plaintiff’s lawyer and AbbVie, but had not received comment prior to publication.
Source link
-
-
-
-
-
