A man from Arizona who was diagnosed with permanent hearing loss after using the medication Tepezza® (teprotumumab) has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer, Horizon Pharmaceuticals.
The plaintiff, Daniel W., received infusions of Tepezza as a treatment for thyroid eye disease from June 2020 through September 2020.
During that time, he was given no warnings about the risk of hearing damage or tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Unfortunately, he was soon diagnosed with permanent hearing loss.
The lawsuit claims that Horizon Pharmaceuticals failed to warn patients and doctors about the risk of irreversible hearing problems.
Horizon is also accused of failing to recommend that patients undergo regular audiological monitoring while using Tepezza, “despite study after study providing clear evidence” linking it to hearing damage.
Since it was approved inn January 2020, Tepezza has been linked to many reports of hearing loss. The label on Tepezza warns that 10% of patients may experience hearing problems, based on a study conducted by Horizon Pharmaceuticals in which about 10% of patients experienced hearing loss, vs. 0% of patients on a placebo.
The actual rate of hearing problems may be even worse. In March 2021, The Endocrine Society published a small study in which 65% of patients on Tepezza reported hearing problems.
The Tepezza Lawsuit was filed against Horizon Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois — Case Number 1:22-cv-04518.
Source: Tepezza Label Silent On Serious Hearing Risks, Suit Says