The FDA issued a black box warning for the labels of gadolinium, a contrast agent used during radiological exams. Next to a total recall, a black box warning is the strongest government warning placed on pharmaceutical products. Recent studies have shown serious side effects in patients who are injected with gadolinium, a metal ion used by physicians to obtain a more accurate diagnosis of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) tests.

Information from a May 2006 press release from the Danish Medicines Agency(DMA) describes patients with renal failure who developed a potentially fatal condition called Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis/Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy(NSF/NFD). All of these infected patients had received a gadolinium-enhanced MRA procedure within the previous months of the study. The disease causes patients to develop various muscle, skin, and joint irritations throughout the body. The various symptoms of NSF/NFD are progressive and may be fatal. Symptoms include:

• tightening, swelling of the skin
• restriction of movement due to tightening of the skin around the joints
• skin with a “woody” texture; similar to an orange peel
• burning, itching, muscle weakness and/or sharp pains

If you or a loved one experiences the symptoms of NSF/NFD within two years after exposure to gadolinium, you should contact your physician immediately. If you are unsure, check your medical records to see if gadolinium was used during your MRI. Many of the afflicted patients have brought successful lawsuits against the manufacturers of these harmful pharmaceuticals. These companies are at fault for exposing the public to unsafe products, and they are liable for any injury or death associated with the use of gadolinium.

If you are diagnosed with NSF/NFD, we urge you to contact an NSF/NFD attorney in order to preserve your legal rights. The gadolinium lawyers at Houssiere, Durant & Houssiere, L.L.P. have decades of experience with pharmaceutical lawsuits, and are aggressively seeking cases involving the side effects of gadolinium.