Samantha Reckis was seven years old and showing signs of a
fever the day after Thanksgiving in 2003. Her parents gave her Children’s
Motrin to help fight it off. But as days passed, Samantha’s fever only worsened
and her parents watched as she got sicker and sicker.
Samantha
suffered a rare reaction to the children’s ibuprofen called toxic epidermal
necrolysis. The condition is fatal to about 40% of those who contract it.
It causes the top layer of skin to separate from the lower layers of the skin
and is induced via allergic reaction to medicines like sulphonamides,
penicillins, and barbituates.
Samantha lost 90% of her skin, became legally blind, and
suffered brain damage resulting in short-term memory loss. She had 19 different
surgeries and had to be put in a medically induced coma to keep her alive after
her reaction. Her respiratory system was seared, leaving her with just 20% lung
capacity.
Her parents felt that the warning labels on Motrin’s bottle
were not sufficient, only offering small technical warnings and not warning
consumers of potentially serious side effects like toxic epidermal necrolysis.
They sued the company, and so far have been awarded a total of $63 million in
the case--$50 million to Samantha and $6.5 million to each of her parents. It’s
possible that amount will be increased to $109 million after the trial judge
reviews the awards.
Johnson
& Johnson Services, Inc., is currently considering an appeal for the
verdict. “The Reckis family has suffered a tragedy, and we sympathize
deeply with them,” they said in a statement. “[But] Children's Motrin, when
used as directed, is a safe and effective treatment option for minor aches and
pains and fever and we believe the medicine is labeled appropriately.”
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