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Billed as a longer-lasting treatment alternative that would allow patients with eye conditions to undergo less frequent interventions, Beovu has now been linked to rare but serious problems that can cause severe vision loss. Throughout 2021, patients who were treated with Beovu and subsequently developed new eye disorders have filed lawsuits for compensation against the drug’s manufacturer, Novartis.
If you believe Beovu eye injections have only made your vision worse, you could be eligible to pursue a claim.
As of June 2021, Beovu hasn’t been recalled, but the FDA and other organizations have acknowledged warnings about the drug. Learn more about Beovu recalls and warnings.
If you suffered new loss of vision or other eye problems after Beovu treatments, you might have a claim. Find out what you need to pursue a lawsuit.
Suing the manufacturer of Beovu is, often, the only way you can hold the pharmaceutical company accountable and recover financial compensation. Learn more about filing a Beovu lawsuit and how an attorney can help.
The link between the medication and further eye problems is significant enough that the FDA added additional warnings to the drug’s label less than a year after approving Beovu.
The original drug label for Beovu included warnings of possible endophthalmitis, retinal detachments, increases in intraocular pressure, and arterial thromboembolic events, along with other adverse reactions. These potential adverse reactions are serious, but they’re also expected to some degree. That’s because these warnings are consistent with the warnings found on other intravitreal (eyeball) injections, like Beovu’s competitor Eylea.
The revised warning label approved by the FDA in June 2020 added the possibility of retinal vasculitis, retinal vascular occlusion, and intraocular inflammation to the list of Beovu warnings. These conditions can cause eye pain and much more, including vision loss and, for some patients, blindness.
Given the serious nature of this potential adverse effect, patients might assume that Beovu would be recalled. Surprisingly, that’s not the case, at least as of June 2021. More than a year after the FDA approved the updated warning label for the drug, it is still on the market in the United States.
Even though no recall has yet been issued, a February 2020 Beovu warning by the American Society of Retina Specialists has left some ophthalmologists hesitant to administer Beovu. After all, other treatments have proven effective in treating macular degeneration without being linked to these serious additional adverse effects, and Beovu “has trailed sales expectations in part due to the safety concerns,” Reuters noted.
If you are receiving eye injections to treat age-related macular degeneration, it’s important that you speak with your doctor about which injection you are receiving and what the benefits and risks of that particular drug are. Your doctor should be aware of any additional risk factors that could make you more likely to develop one of these serious conditions if you receive a Beovu injection. These risk factors may include any prior instances of intraocular inflammation or vascular occlusion, especially if they occurred within 12 months before your first Beovu injection, according to Reuters.
“Beovu has now been linked to rare but serious problems that can cause severe vision loss.”
You may have the grounds for a Beovu lawsuit against pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis if you:
Generally, Beovu lawsuit attorneys are finding that claims arising from injections administered before the FDA updated the medication’s warning label are some of the most viable.
However, you may have the grounds for a Beovu eye injury case even if your injection was administered after the FDA approved the labeling update. For example, some Beovu lawsuits have been filed on behalf of patients who received an injection with an old warning label shortly after the update came into effect.
Since patients treated with intravitreal injections for macular degeneration typically require ongoing treatment, you may have received numerous Beovu injections over the course of months. Further complicating matters is the fact that the eye injuries linked to Beovu may not become known until weeks or months later.
Even if you’re not sure if the Beovu injection that contributed to your vision loss occurred during the period of time before the drug’s warning was updated, it’s worth speaking to an attorney (for free) about your situation.
The Beovu lawsuits currently being filed against Novartis typically involve a diagnosis of one of the following eye conditions:
Beovu injury lawsuits usually include an element of vision loss, which can be permanent.
What if you haven’t seen a doctor or received a diagnosis yet? It’s crucial that you seek medical care right away, particularly if you have any symptoms that could indicate retinal vasculitis, retinal vascular occlusion, or other Beovu adverse effects.
These symptoms may include:
The visual changes that can result from serious Beovu adverse effects may be sudden or may develop over a period of several days. Some of these serious vision changes are accompanied by pain, while others are painless. These changes might not start immediately after treatment, sometimes becoming noticeable only in the weeks or even months following a Beovu injection.
Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have retinal vasculitis, retinal vascular occlusion, or another severe eye problem. These symptoms also don’t necessarily mean that your vision loss will be permanent.
However, any change to your vision has the potential to be serious, so it’s a good idea for patients to consult eye doctors promptly upon noticing visual changes—particularly if you’re a Beovu patient. If you have been given Beovu injections and are noticing unexpected vision changes, it’s essential that you call your doctor right away.
Beovu is the brand name for the medication brolucizumab-dbll, produced by Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis.
Beovu was developed to treat a condition known as wet age-related macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration is a condition of the eye in which the cells that make up the macula deteriorate and die, leading to vision loss. The macula is the part of the eye’s retina that is responsible for your central vision and allows you to see fine details and vibrant colors.
Macular degeneration usually affects older patients, most commonly those over age 55, according to Mayo Clinic. For that reason, the condition is often referred to as “age-related” macular degeneration, abbreviated as AMD.
There are two types of AMD. Dry macular degeneration happens when the light-sensitive cells that make up your macula and allow you to see slowly break down, and the macula becomes thin. Wet macular degeneration—the kind of AMD for which Beovu injections are used—develops in around 20 percent of patients with dry macular degeneration, Mayo Clinic reported. Wet macular degeneration occurs when blood or other fluids collect in the back of the eye or when abnormal blood vessels grow into the macula. Generally, wet AMD tends to be more severe and to progress faster than dry macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration is treatable, but treatment typically only slows the progression of vision loss rather than reversing it, according to the National Library of Medicine. Patients with AMD are usually treated with regular injections administered directly to the eyeball.
These injections are generally given every four to six weeks and work by stopping the growth of (or, in some cases, shrinking) the blood vessels that cause the problem, Mayo Clinic reported. Beovu is one of these medications, but it’s not the only option. Eylea (the brand name for aflibercept), Lucentis (the brand name for ranibizumab), and the cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) are all used in clinical practice to treat wet AMD.
Beovu was intended to offer the advantage of less frequent injections, meant to be used every two to three months. However, the reports of vision loss associated with this specific drug (and not the other drugs used to treat wet AMD) have, understandably, led to reluctance to embrace or continue using Beovu among doctors and their patients, according to BioPharma Dive. As a result, the drug hasn’t reached its anticipated blockbuster status.
Nearly all medications pose the risks of some kind of side effects. When those risks aren’t included in warning labels—sometimes, though not always, because companies allegedly knew about but failed to report the risks—they may give rise to lawsuits.
In Beovu’s case, the lawsuits currently being filed relate to vision loss that is beyond what would be expected from their stage of macular degeneration or that has other causes besides the normal progression of wet AMD.
The types of injuries associated with Beovu lawsuit matters include:
Essentially, patients were given Beovu injections because they were at risk of losing their eyesight over time. The claimants in the lawsuits against Novartis allege that they suffered more rapid and severe vision loss from adverse effects of Beovu injections than from their medical condition, wet AMD, in the first place.
Like other drugs, Beovu also carries a risk of side effects besides the serious injuries that can be the grounds for a lawsuit.
What are Beovu’s common side effects? According to the drug’s revised label approved by the FDA in June 2020, the most common adverse reactions to Beovu injections include:
The National Library of Medicine also reports rashes, hives, itchiness, redness, and swelling of the eye or eyelid as potential side effects of Beovu.
Although many side effects are mild and temporary, it’s important to speak to your doctor when you suspect that you are suffering from a medication’s side effects—particularly when those side effects interfere with your vision.
If you suffered vision loss from taking Beovu, you might be entitled to financial compensation. Although no amount of money can truly replace your eyesight, the money damages awarded in a Beovu lawsuit claim can offset the financial consequences of vision loss and help you live the best life possible. In addition to getting you the money you deserve, filing a Beovu lawsuit can also serve to hold the manufacturer accountable for the serious harm their medication has caused.
Vision loss affects your life in many ways. When the cause of your vision loss is a medication that poses serious risks that you were not warned of, the manufacturer of that drug should be held accountable for every one of these consequences.
An attorney for a Beovu eye injury lawsuit may seek any of the following types of damages on your behalf:
These damages are all considered compensatory damages, which means they’re meant to compensate you for what you have been through. In some instances involving pharmaceutical injury claims, class action attorneys may seek punitive damages, which are imposed upon the defendant as a punishment for exceptionally harmful or grossly negligent behavior.
No matter what your current financial situation is or how much your vision loss has impacted your finances, you can afford professional legal representation for a Beovu lawsuit. That’s because attorneys handle Beovu eye injury lawsuits on a no-win, no-fee basis.
You pay nothing up front to speak to or retain an attorney for your Beovu lawsuit matter. Throughout your case, the lawyer you hire will conduct a thorough investigation and gather evidence to prove your claim. Your attorney will handle all interactions with the defendants and other parties involved in the claim, represent you in legal proceedings, and even advance any costs of obtaining expert witness opinions.
When your attorney settles your claim or successfully acquires a jury award in your favor, you will pay only a portion of the compensation you receive in attorneys’ fees. In the event that your case is unsuccessful, you owe nothing for legal representation.
Help is available—at no upfront cost—for patients harmed by Beovu and their families. Suing a major multinational pharmaceutical corporation isn’t simple, but a skilled pharmaceutical injury attorney has the knowledge and resources to stand up to the makers of Beovu for you.
A free Beovu case evaluation is the next step to regaining control of your life. Call Console & Associates today at (866) 778-5500 to get started. We’re working with a network of highly experienced pharmaceutical injury law firms that are at the forefront of Beovu litigation.
