Allergan Inc. To Pay $15M In Botox Verdict

UNIONDALE, N.Y. and AUSTIN, Texas, May 14, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Mark & Associates, P.C. and McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P. are pleased to announce a $15 million verdict against Allergan Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!agn/quotes/nls/agn (AGN 61.52, -1.10, -1.76%) after a jury found the company was negligent for failing to provide sufficient warnings about potential Botox side effects. The law firms are currently representing numerous clients who have been injured as a result of Botox injections. For more information about this verdict and Botox side effects, please visit www.BotoxLegalRights.com.

Ray Chester, partner of McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P. and lead trial counsel in the case, represented Dr. Sharla Helton in her lawsuit against Allergen alleging that Botox injections in 2006 led to severe and disabling side effects. Dr. Helton, an obstetrician and gynecologist, suffered botulism poisoning after receiving Botox injections, and was forced to sell her medical practice and step down as medical director of Lakeside Women’s Hospital in Oklahoma City due to botulism and debilitating pain.

Botox is the trade name for botulinum toxin, type A, which has been described by the Journal of the American Medical Association as “the most poisonous substance known.” JAMA, February 28, 2001, 285: 1059-1070. Botox, especially at high doses, can migrate out of the injected muscles and cause severe injuries which constitute, or at least mimic the symptoms of, botulism.

“We are convinced there are a great number of Botox victims that have not yet associated their symptoms and illnesses with their use of Botox. We hope this verdict gives them the courage to come forward and hold Allergan responsible for their corporate misconduct,” said Ray Chester. “It is simply unacceptable for a drug manufacturer to withhold vital safety information from the public.”

Jason Mark of Mark & Associates, P.C., who has been part of the Botox litigation team since its inception, commented, “This verdict rightly punishes a corporation who clearly put profits ahead of safety. The American public will continue to hold greedy corporations responsible when they put profit margins ahead of safety.”

The firms’ next Botox trial will be the case of a 70-year-old nurse who died in 2008 after she received Botox injections to ease her neck pain. That trial is scheduled to begin in Santa Ana, California in September.

McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P. was founded in 1927 in Texas with strong interests in government and politics. With offices in Austin and Houston, the firm represents individuals, companies and public institutions in more than 20 focused practice areas and industries. More information is available at www.mcginnislaw.com.

Mark & Associates, P.C. has offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Long Island, New York. The firm aggressively represents victims of defective products, dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices and serious accidents. More information on Mark & Associates, P.C. is available at www.youhaverights.com.

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