Lawsuit Filed After Child Develops Stevens Johnson Syndrome

October 27, 2010, 1:30PM. By Heidi Turner

Hollister, MOA lawsuit has been filed against Johnson & Johnson alleging Children's Motrin caused a six year old to develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). The child allegedly began developing Stevens Johnson Syndrome symptoms after receiving three doses of Children's Motrin. Meanwhile, a family whose teenage daughter developed SJS is trying to raise money to cover the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills racked up while saving the girl's life.

According to Salient News (10/25/10), Sabrina Brierton Johnson developed a fever and was given three doses of Children's Motrin. Rather than lowering her temperature, Sabrina developed symptoms similar to those of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Sabrina was taken to the hospital suffering from blistering, lesions and an SJS rash. During her ordeal, Sabrina lost her eyesight, which was not restored despite multiple surgeries.

A lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and McNeil Consumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals alleges that the companies failed to warn about the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

This lawsuit has already been tried once, with the court finding that although Johnson & Johnson and McNeil knew about the potential risk of SJS and failed to adequately warn about that risk, the lack of warnings was not a substantial factor in Sabrina Johnson's harm. The plaintiff is now asking to have this judgment reversed, claiming the trial court abused its discretion when it excluded an exhibit illustrating an expert's testimony.

It is not known what causes Stevens Johnson Syndrome to occur. Patients can develop the reaction even after having taken the same drug previously with no adverse reaction. The majority of SJS cases are linked to some medication—frequently non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—although not all cases are caused by medication.

Patients who develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome suffer from what appears to be extreme burning. Those who survive their ordeal often endure permanent scarring, pain and loss of sight.

The family of a girl who was in the hospital for 16 days after developing Stevens Johnson Syndrome is now raising money to cover $350,000 in medical bills. According to the News-Leader (10/25/10), the family had no insurance when the 14 year old developed blisters over most of her body. In the hospital, she was fed through an IV because her body could not handle a feeding tube.

Although Kaitlyn Fletcher survived her ordeal, she still has headaches and is losing her fingernails.

The family does not know what caused her to develop SJS, saying that the only medicine she took prior to the incident was Pepto-Bismol.