The thyroid eye disease (TED) medication Tepezza (teprotumumab-trbw) has been linked by patient reports and scientific studies to numerous hearing issues, including:
- Permanent hearing loss
- Hypoacusis
- Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Pain in the ear
- A feeling like your ears are plugged
- Autophony (where your own voice sounds too loud)
- Hyperacusis (increased sensitivity to sound)
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
It appears that Tepezza’s manufacturer, Horizon Therapeutics USA, failed to adequately test Tepezza and failed to adequately warn about the hearing issues associated with the drug. This means that you may be eligible for financial compensation in a Tepezza hearing loss lawsuit for any injuries to your hearing caused by Tepezza.
Many lawsuits have been filed alleging that Tepezza caused hearing loss. In fact, so many lawsuits have been filed that a motion was recently filed to consolidate Tepezza cases into a multidistrict litigation.
Call us today for a free consultation or text us from this page if you or a loved one suffered permanent hearing loss, tinnitus or other hearing problems after using Tepezza. Our experienced dangerous drug lawyers have been handling dangerous drug cases for over 30 years and have recovered over $750,000,000 on behalf of our clients since 1990, including:
- $14,250,000 for a 9-year-old girl who developed Stevens Johnson syndrome after taking Children’s Motrin
- $5,000,000 for a woman whose diet drug use led to her developing primary pulmonary hypertension
- $1,250,000 for a Fen-Phen user who developed primary pulmonary hypertension
We do not charge our clients a fee unless and until we obtain financial compensation for their injuries. Call us today for a free legal consultation.
What Damages Can Be Recovered In Tepezza Lawsuits?
If you have suffered hearing loss or tinnitus after using Tepezza, or if you have suffered other hearing-related issues, you may qualify to seek financial compensation and file a Tepezza lawsuit. You may qualify to recover both economic damages and non-economic damages connected to your hearing-related side effects.
Economic Damages In A Tepezza Lawsuit
Economic damages are damages which can be objectively measured, such as medical bills. Hearing tests and hearing aids can be extremely expensive, and hearing aids will likely continue to become more expensive over time as the technology in them improves and becomes more complex. To make matters worse, since the costs of hearing tests and hearing aids are increasing, health insurance companies are trying their best to limit their coverage and liability for them. Thus, if your attempt to treat thyroid eye disease with Tepezza has led to potentially permanent hearing loss or another hearing disorder, you may be facing enormous medical bills for the rest of your life.
In addition, losing the ability to hear may cause you to be unable to do your job, leading you to lose wages or your future earning capacity.
Those who have suffered permanent hearing damage or other hearing-related problems may qualify for financial compensation for such economic damages as past and future medical bills, the cost of past and future medical equipment such as hearing aids, lost wages, loss of earning capacity and more.
Non-Economic Damages In A Tepezza Lawsuit
Non-economic damages are damages which cannot be objectively measured, such as pain and suffering. Suffering from hearing impairment and having to deal with permanent loss of hearing can cause one a great deal of mental suffering and emotional distress, and those who have experienced an ear injury due to Tepezza may qualify for financial compensation for this mental suffering and emotional distress in Tepezza hearing loss lawsuits.
You may also be able to recover loss of consortium (loss of the benefits of a relationship) damages, loss of enjoyment of life damages and more by filing a Tepezza lawsuit.
How Much Will It Cost Me To File A Tepezza Hearing Loss Lawsuit?
We only charge a fee when we obtain a recovery for you. We do not charge a fee if we don’t obtain financial compensation for you. In other words, we don’t charge a fee unless and until we win your case and you will never owe us a single penny out of your own pocket.
You have nothing to lose by calling us for a free consultation if you have suffered from hearing loss or other hearing problems after taking Tepezza.
How Long Do I Have To File A Tepezza Lawsuit?
In California, you have two years from the date you become aware that a dangerous drug has injured you to file a dangerous drug lawsuit. This time limit is known as a statute of limitations and a failure to file a lawsuit within this time frame can forever bar you from obtaining financial compensation for your injuries.
Other states are different; we have a database of the statute of limitations for all 50 states. Therefore, we can effectively represent a TEPEZZA victim in every state.
Don’t wait – call us today if you’ve suffered from hearing issues after taking Tepezza. Calling us today gives us the most time possible to build a successful case for you and file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires, so calling us today gives you the best chance of obtaining the financial compensation you deserve for your hearing problems.
Did Horizon Therapeutics Adequately Test Tepezza?
It appears that the thyroid eye disease drug Tepezza was not adequately tested by Horizon Therapeutics.
Tepezza’s label actually states, “Teprotumumab-trbw’s mechanism of action in patients with Thyroid Eye Disease has not been fully characterized.”
That’s right: Horizon Therapeutics failed to even test Tepezza enough to learn how it treats thyroid eye disease.
The label also admits that no “formal pharmacodynamic studies have been conducted with teprotumumab-trbw.”
When Tepezza was submitted for FDA approval, clinical trials had seen less than 100 patients who were given Tepezza. Only 84 patients had been given the drug in clinical trials when the drug was submitted to the FDA.
Those who are harmed by inadequately tested drugs are eligible for financial compensation for their injuries. Call our legal team today for a free case review if you or a loved one developed hearing problems after taking Tepezza.
Does Tepezza Cause Hearing Loss?
Tepezza has been linked by scientific studies and patient reports to hearing loss and other hearing issues, yet the time since these links have been revealed has seen Horizon Therapeutics ignore relevant safety concerns, continue to sell Tepezza and not properly warn patients about the significant risk of severe, permanent hearing loss associated with the drug.
Teprotumumab and hearing loss: hear the warnings was published in February 2021 in Orbit.
Ototoxicity and Teprotumumab was published in August 2021 in Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology. The case report described “irreversible” hearing loss in a Tepezza patient and suggested that Tepezza patients be given audiologic evaluations.
Audiology findings in patients with teprotumumab associated otologic symptoms was published in September 2021 in American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports. The report described Tepezza patients who experienced hearing loss and tinnitus, noting that there may be a risk for irreversible hearing loss associated with the drug.
Thyroid Eye Diseae, Teprotumumab, and Hearing Loss: An Evolving Role for Otolaryngologists was published in March 2021 in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The authors stated that doctors who prescribe Tepezza should “strongly consider” having an audiologist and an otolaryngologist monitor their patients’ hearing.
Teprotumumab and Hearing Loss: Case Series and Proposal for Audiologic Monitoring was published in January 2022 in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The authors stated that Tepezza may cause “irreversible hearing loss ranging from mild to severe,” suggesting that audiograms and tympanometry be given before, during and after Tepezza infusion.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss After Teprotumumab Therapy for Thyroid Eye Disease: A Case Report was published in February 2022 in Otology & Neurotology. The case report described a woman who experienced hearing loss in both ears after taking Tepezza, suggesting that Tepezza patients receive audiometric monitoring.
Hearing Dysfunction After Treatment With Teprotumumab for Thyroid Eye Disease was published in February 2022 in American Journal of Ophthalmology. The case series saw 27 Tepezza patients analyzed. 22 of the 27 patients, or 81.5 percent of the patients, developed new subjective symptoms related to the ear. Five of the patients developed hearing loss, with three of those five patients experiencing persistent hearing loss.
Teprotumumab-associated chronic hearing loss screening and proposed treatments was published in April 2022 in BMJ Case Reports. The case report described a woman who developed tinnitus after a third dose of Tepezza, followed by hearing loss after a fifth dose, which persisted six weeks after the fifth dose.
Audiologic Demonstration of Ototoxicity from Teprotumumab Treatment in a Patient With Thyroid Eye Disease was published in April 2022 in OTO Open. The case report described a woman who developed tinnitus after a second infusion of Tepezza and hearing loss after a fifth infusion, with no improvement being seen in audiograms afterwards.
How Does Tepezza Cause Hearing Loss?
Teprotumumab for Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy was published in May 2017 in The New England Journal of Medicine. The article notes that Tepezza is an insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) inhibitor.
IGF-IR protects hair cells in the inner ear from medication toxicity, ischemia, and noise-induced damage, and low IGF-IR levels have been linked with hearing loss.
Thus, it appears that Tepezza may cause hearing loss by inhibiting IGF-IR.
Could Horizon Have Warned Patients About Hearing Loss?
21 CFR § 314.70(c)(3) allows drug manufacturers to update their labeling to reflect new information without receiving prior FDA approval, so when Horizon Therapeutics became aware that Tepezza had been linked with a significant risk of permanent hearing loss, they had the option to immediately update Tepezza’s label to warn patients about the risk.
However, the only warning on Tepezza’s label related to hearing loss characterizes hearing loss as an adverse event which occurred in 10 percent of Tepezza users, much lower than the percentage of users who experienced hearing loss in Hearing Dysfunction After Treatment With Teprotumumab for Thyroid Eye Disease. Lawsuits also claim that Horizon told the FDA that this hearing loss was “temporary and generally of limited duration.”
In addition, Horizon should have heeded the advice of many scientific reports and instructed doctors to monitor Tepezza patients’ hearing before and after giving their patients Tepezza injections.
Horizon failed to warn patients that there is a significant risk of developing permanent hearing loss associated with Tepezza, and also failed to warn doctors that they should monitor Tepezza patients’ hearing. These failures mean that if you have experienced hearing problems after taking Tepezza, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. Call our Tepezza lawyers for a free case review today.
Tepezza Lawsuit Updates
December 2, 2024 Update
A New Jersey man filed a lawsuit on November 22 in Illinois which alleges he suffered tinnitus and permanent hearing loss after receiving IV infusions of Tepezza.
The lawsuit alleges that Horizon Therapeutics USA Inc. purposely delayed dissemination of vital information regarding hearing risks which are associated with the drug by disputing the FDA’s warning label language.
The lawsuit indicates the man received infusions of the drug from November 2021 to April 2022, and that him and his doctor weren’t ever warned about a hearing loss risk, despite substantial evidence existing about this risk.
The lawsuit claims that not only did Horizon hold back vital warnings and information about this risk for many years, but that the company delayed adding language about the risk to the drug’s label even after the FDA found that the hearing loss caused by the drug may be permanent.
November 6, 2024 Update
While discovery continues in the Tepezza MDL, one of the drug manufacturer’s lawyers is being accused of disruptive behavior in depositions. Lawyers for the plaintiffs are claiming the purpose of this was to interfere with important testimony.
The lawyer has allegedly engaged in “generally uncivil conduct,” including unnecessary colloquy, incessant foundation objections, speaking objections and witness coaching.
One “egregious example,” according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, was the lawyer initiating a “barrage of objections” while the plaintiffs’ lawyers were trying to examine a witness. These objections allegedly occurred before the plaintiffs’ lawyers were even able to ask a question, and allegedly involved the witness being coached.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers also allege that attorneys for Horizon were intentionally wasting time available for plaintiffs to do depositions.
A judge then found that this conduct by Horizon’s lawyers was “obstructionist and not well-founded.” However, no specific sanctions were imposed by the Court.
Horizon is currently facing over 170 lawsuits alleging they failed to warn about the link between Tepezza and hearing damage.
October 3, 2024 Update
September saw five cases added to the Tepezza MDL, which now involves 178 pending cases.
September 5, 2024 Update
August saw 33 cases added to the Tepezza MDL. This is a much larger volume of cases per month than we have been seeing in this MDL. 173 cases are now pending in the MDL.
August 19, 2024 Update
The plaintiffs and defendants have had success in negotiating an agreement about the scheduling and number of depositions. The total amount of depositions has been settled upon and divided into two separate phases: those which will get completed prior to February 14, 2025, and depositions which will be conducted between February 14, 2025 and April 10, 2025. In addition, consensus has been reached regarding various parts of the process of deposition.
Tepezza cases will probably settle a lot more quickly than typical MDL cases and long prior to 2026’s first bellwether trial.
July 31, 2024 Update
Horizon has filed numerous motions to dismiss Tepezza lawsuits.
One motion alleges that plaintiffs in 11 claims failed to adequately argue negligent design defect or strict liability claims which are plausible. Another motion argues that nine bellwether selections are preempted by federal law. Another motion claims that fraudulent misrepresentation claims in five lawsuits should be dismissed. Another motion argues a claim should be dismissed because it doesn’t state any claim based on laws in Michigan, where it was filed.
Regarding preemption claims, the company is arguing that it should be immune to liability because the FDA considered its warning labels to be sufficient when the drug was approved. Motions to dismiss based on federal preemption are typically shot down by courts when courts find that drug makers hid information which would have caused the FDA to issue a warning label update.
July 17, 2024 Update
While Tepezza lawsuits over hearing loss are under preparation for the initial trials which are set to start next year, the parties involved have been given orders to hold mediation talks on a quarterly basis beginning next month in order to talk about if they can reach settlements in order to avoid juries seeing dozens of cases over the next several years.
The orders were part of a July 2 case management order which indicated that a discovery schedule which as proposed in June by defendants and plaintiffs has been adopted. The settlement talks, which will begin on or about the date of August 1, might help a settlement agreement to be reached which would resolve many or all claims.
In addition, the order states that core fact discovery will end by December 20, 2024 and recommends that the parties submit four cases each that they propose for bellwether trials by January 17, 2025.
It was announced last month that the first bellwether trial in the Tepezza litigation would start on March 9, 2026.
Horizon Therapeutics is currently facing almost 140 lawsuits which allege that the drug maker didn’t warn users adequately about the risk that Tepezza, a thyroid eye disease medication, can cause hearing loss. More lawsuits are expected to be filed, and there will probably be several hundred lawsuits before initial trials start in March 2026.
July 2, 2024 Update
A lawsuit filed in Illinois on June 24 by a New Jersey man alleges that Tepezza caused the man to suffer permanent hearing impairment. The lawsuit claims the man could have avoided the damage to his hearing had the medication’s manufacturer adequately warned about the dangers associated with the drug.
The lawsuit alleges that Horizon Therapeutics ignored user safety by not instruction doctors regarding how important it is to conduct routine hearing tests in order to monitor patients for signs of hearing impairment.
The lawsuit alleges the man developed tinnitus and hearing loss after receiving Tepezza infusions, and alleges that Horizon knew or should have known during development of the drug that the drug carried risks of causing hearing impairment, failing to take advantage of laws on multiple occasions which would have allowed the company to provide an immediate update to the drug’s warning label.
In other news, June saw 19 lawsuits added to the Tepezza MDL, bringing the total number of cases to 139.
June 5, 2024 Update
Attorneys involved in the Tepezza MDL have ended up submitting proposed schedules which lead up to the initial bellwether trials. These trials will help gauge the response of future juries to certain testimony and evidence which will end up being repeated through hundreds of other claims.
While the plaintiffs and defendants have numerous disagreements about deadlines which lead up to the first bellwether trial, both parties are in agreement that the bellwether process should lead up to a series of four separate cases being tried before juries between March and August 2026.
The claims involve similar claims that Tepezza’s manufacturer failed to provide adequate warning to users that Tepezza may cause hearing loss.
June 3, 2024 Update
Seven cases were added to the Tepezza MDL in May. The MDL now has 120 cases pending in it.
May 21, 2024 Update
March 9, 2026 is the date which has been set by the judge overseeing the Tepezza MDL for the first Tepezza bellwether trial to start. The judge instructed both parties to collaborate and end up submitting a proposed schedule regarding how bellwether case selection and discovery should proceed.
May 7, 2024 Update
Defendants and plaintiffs have presented the judge overseeing the Tepezza MDL with contrasting bellwether schedules which could lead to over one year’s difference regarding when the initial bellwether trials see juries.
The plaintiffs are seeking a date of early 2026 for the first trials to begin. However, the defendants are seeking a date of 2027 for the first trials to begin. Plaintiffs are claiming this is a needless waste of time and a stalling tactic.
The defendants’ proposed schedule, according to plaintiffs, unnecessarily prolongs litigation, bogging down discovery with inefficiencies which MDL courts routinely reject. The plaintiffs allege that extra months that the defendants seek do not serve any purpose other than to delay resolution and increase costs.
The lawsuits in the MDL allege that users of Tepezza have been left with permanent hearing damage.
May 6, 2024 Update
13 cases were added to the Tepezza MDL in April, bringing the number of total cases to 113.
April 16, 2024 Update
A Florida man has filed a lawsuit alleging that he suffered from severe injuries after refusing Tepezza infusions.
The man, who had received an eye disease diagnosis, received multiple infusions of Tepezza from February 2022 through July 2022, and alleges that he and his doctors were not warned about the risk of hearing loss associated with the drug. Because of this, he had never been directed to receive baseline audiology testing or hearing acuity monitoring while he was being treated.
The lawsuit alleges that the man is now suffering from tinnitus and permanent hearing loss due to the infusions.
April 9, 2024 Update
Defendants in the Tepezza MDL have been given by a judge until the end of May to turn over a bellwether case list, delaying the deadline that was originally set for selection of possible trial claims by a total of 60 days.
Plaintiffs had identified their four picks for bellwether trials on March 1, and the defendants had been expected to select their four trials by April 1 – the final four picks will be randomly selected by the court.
However, the defendants requested a deadline extension so they could review medical records before they select what they feel are the claims most representative for trial.
The cases all involve similar claims that plaintiffs suffered permanent hearing loss after taking Tepezza.
March 17, 2024 Update
A federal judge has been asked by Horizon Therapeutics to give two more months before they need to select four Tepezza lawsuits for bellwether discovery, as well as prepare for possible trial dates. Horizon indicated they haven’t finished review of medical records in order to choose the proper claims for bellwether trials.
Horizon faces around 100 lawsuits alleging individuals suffered hearing damage after using Tepezza.
March 4, 2024 Update
The number of Tepezza lawsuits alleging the thyroid eye disease medication causes hearing loss is growing. As the number of lawsuits grows, four cases have been identified by plaintiffs for inclusion in a pool of bellwether trials in the Tepezza MDL. In November, the judge overseeing the MDL told the plaintiffs and defendants to select four cases each to be part of the bellwether trials, saying the remaining four would then be chosen at random by the court. The four cases all involve claims that Tepezza caused permanent hearing loss.
19 new Tepezza cases were added to the MDL in February, bringing the total number of cases to 93.
January 15, 2024 Update
Three additional cases claiming hearing loss were added to the Tepezza MDL in the period since mid-December, bringing the total number of Tepezza MDL cases to 74.
January 7, 2024 Update
Attorneys involved in the Tepezza MDL have requested 60 more days prior to lawsuits being selected as initial bellwether trials, allowing the attorneys extra time to sift through medical records as well as other documents in order to figure out what cases are the best cases to serve as bellwether trials. The lawsuits allege that Tepezza users experienced hearing damage after using the thyroid eye disease medication.
December 18, 2023 Update
12 cases have been added to the Tepezza MDL in the last month, bringing the total number of cases to 71.
September 18, 2023 Update
As of September 18, 2023, there are 54 cases in the Tepezza multidistrict litigation.
August 14, 2023 Update
On August 14, 2023, a lawsuit was filed in Illinois alleging that a Florida man suffered tinnitus and permanent hearing loss after being given Tepezza for thyroid eye disease. The lawsuit alleges the drug’s manufacturer knew the drug could cause tinnitius and permanent hearing loss but failed to warn about this risk.
July 20, 2023 Update
On July 20, 2023, the FDA released a new prescribing information guide for Tepezza. Tepezza’s label now warns about a risk of severe, possibly permanent hearing loss. “TEPEZZA may cause severe hearing impairment including hearing loss, which in some cases may be permanent,” the label now warns.
May 1, 2023 Update
Oral arguments regarding the establishment of a Tepezza MDL have been scheduled for May 25 in Philadelphia.
April 1, 2023 Update
34 Tepezza lawsuits have been filed in federal courts as of March 2023. 13 of those cases have seen the filing of voluntary dismissals. This is a sign that those cases might have reached out-of-court settlements.
A motion has been filed to consolidate all Tepezza lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation (MDL). The MDL would be handled in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The lawsuits allege that Horizon knew or should have known the drug could cause hearing loss before submitting the drug for review to United States regulators.
Am I Eligible To File A Tepezza Lawsuit?
Those who have suffered Tepezza side effects may be able to obtain financial compensation for their injuries with the help of our law firm, but they must satisfy numerous criteria.
First of all, you must have incurred significant damages related to Tepezza. Simply receiving Tepezza injections does not qualify you for a lawsuit. You must have suffered from hearing loss, tinnitus or other hearing issues after taking Tepezza in order to file a lawsuit.
You must also be able to prove that you received Tepezza injections, Tepezza caused your hearing issues, and that you suffered damages because of these hearing issues in order to file a successful lawsuit. That’s where the experienced dangerous drug lawyers at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers come into play.
We are experts at proving that our clients took a dangerous drug, the dangerous drug harmed them, and that harm led to damages such as medical bills, pain, suffering and more. We have been successfully representing victims of dangerous drugs since 1990.
If you think you qualify to file a Tepezza lawsuit or are unsure, call a Tepezza attorney at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation or text us from this page. Let us fight to obtain for you the compensation and justice you deserve.
