Benzocaine Lawsuits

Benzocaine is the active ingredient in over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief products for teething in infants. OTC products containing benzocaine are also marketed to adults and children for the relief of sore throats, canker sores, and mouth, tooth and gum pain. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that benzocaine may be linked to methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder in which an abnormal amount of a form of hemoglobin is produced. In particular, the FDA has cautioned against the use of these products for infants and children.

Benzocaine Lawyers are Ready to Help

Contact our Benzocaine Lawyers to review whether you or a family member may be entitled to financial compensation. Levy Konigsberg LLP is currently accepting Benzocaine cases in all 50 states.

If you or a loved one has suffered one or more of these complications, you may be entitled to a cash award and compensation for medical expenses. For a free confidential consultation with Benzocaine Lawyers at our law firm, please call (800) 315-3806 or submit an email inquiry.

What is Benzocaine?

Benzocaine is a local anesthetic used to treat teething, sore throats, sore gums, cold sores, mouth sores, and toothaches. Benzocaine is sold as both a topical and oral solution in the form of gels, sprays, ointments, and lozenges. Some of the products containing benzocaine include: Anbesol, Baby Anbesol, Cepacol lozenges, DenTek Instant Pain Relief, Orajel, Baby Orajel, Topex, Bezodent and other brand-name products marketed as oral anesthetics by major retailers.

What is Happening with Benzocaine?

The FDA issued a warning that OTC agents for the relief of gum pain in teething infants poses serious health risks to infants and children. The agency directed that oral products containing benzocaine as an anesthetic should not be marketed and used for infants and young children. The FDA plans to take regulatory action to suspend sales of such products if manufacturers do not comply with its directive. In addition, the FDA is requiring manufacturers to include new warnings about the risk of methemoglobinemia on other products containing benzocaine for use by children over the age of two years old and adults.

The FDA’s statement is based on reports linking benzocaine to the development of a rare but potentially fatal condition known as methemoglobinemia. Methemoglobinemia causes a reduction in the amount of oxygen carried through the blood. In a Drug Safety Communication issued in May 2018, the FDA reiterated its previous findings that methemoglobinemia was observed in some users after OTC benzocaine gels were applied to the gums or mouth. The FDA estimates that over 400 cases of benzocaine-linked methemoglobinemia have been reported or discovered since 1971. Between February 2009 and October 2017, 119 cases of benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia were evaluated. Most of these cases were serious and warranted medical treatment. Of the 119 cases, four patients, including one infant, died after complications from methemoglobinemia.

FDA warnings were issued in 2014, 2011 and 2006 concerning the risks of methemoglobinemia from the use of OTC local anesthetics. Hundreds of lawsuits are now being filed against manufacturers of OTC products containing benzocaine.

https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm608325.htm

https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm608265.htm

Benzocaine Side Effects and Complications

The most serious complication of benzocaine is methemoglobinemia. Symptoms of methemoglobinemia may appear immediately after application or after using the anesthetic for the first time. The symptoms of methemoglobinemia include:

• Pale, gray, or blue-tinted skin, lips or nails;
• Shortness of breath;
• Headache;
• Dizziness;
• Fatigue;
• Confusion;
• Numbness;
• Difficulty breathing or walking; and
• Rapid heart rate.

Benzocaine Lawyers are Ready to Help

Contact our Benzocaine Lawyers to review whether you or a family member may be entitled to financial compensation. Levy Konigsberg LLP is currently accepting Benzocaine cases in all 50 states.

If you or a loved one has suffered one or more of these complications, you may be entitled to a cash award and compensation for medical expenses. For a free confidential consultation with Benzocaine Lawyers at our law firm, please call (800) 315-3806 or submit an email inquiry.