The Injury Lawyer Blog

The FDA has announced that, Actavis Totowa, formerly Amide Pharmaceutical, Inc., has recalled all Digitek (digoxin) tablets due to a double dose of the active ingredient, digitalis, in each tablet. This is a Class I recall, meaning the level of toxicity in each tablet may cause serious health problems or even death, especially to those with renal failure or impaired kidney function.

Digitek is distributed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals with the "Bertek" label and UDL Laboratories, Inc., with the "UDL" label. It has been reported that these double-dose tablets may have been sold for the past year.

Digitek is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure, and digitalis toxicity can lead to low blood pressure, an irregular pulse, heart palpitations, and bradycardia. Other symptoms may include:

• Blurred vision
  
• Blind spots
  
• Halos
  
• Dizziness
  
• Nausea
  
• Vomiting
  
• Diarrhea
  
• Breathing problems
  
• Body swelling
  
• Decreased urine flow
  

Digoxin was used in a series of murders in the '80s and '90s committed by Charles Cullen, a nurse who claimed to have killed as many as 45 patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The active ingredient, digitalis, comes from the foxglove plant (digitalis purpurea). All parts of the plant can be poisonous when ingested by people or animals.

If you or someone you know has been taking Digitek, consult your physician as soon as possible. Retailers carrying this drug should take it off the shelves and return it to the manufacturer immediately. Inadvertent overdosing on this drug can be lethal.

If you or a loved one has suffered adverse effects from the use of Digitek (digoxin), please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area as soon as possible. You may be entitled to compensation and there may be time limits in filing your claim.