If you or someone close to you has been given a gadolinium-based contrast agent, and has subsequently developed nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), or any other serious injury, you are urged to contact the law offices of Audet & Partners at 800.965.1461 to speak to an attorney. The call is free, and there is no obligation. You may also email us below.

Act now, as delays can harm your case.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked manufacturers to include a new boxed warning on the product labeling of all gadolinium-based contrast agents which are used to enhance the quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The requested warning would state that patients with severe kidney insufficiency who receive gadolinium-based agents are at risk for developing a debilitating, and a potentially fatal disease known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). In addition, it would state that patients just before or just after liver transplantation, or those with chronic liver disease, are also at risk for developing NSF if they are experiencing kidney insufficiency of any severity.

Patients with NSF develop thickening of the skin and connective tissues that inhibits their ability to move and may result in broken bones. Other organs are at risk of thickening as well. The cause of NSF is not known and there is no consistently effective treatment of this condition.

FDA first notified health care professionals and the public about the gadolinium-related risks for NSF in June 2006. Information on the risks was updated in December.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are commonly used to improve the visibility of internal structures when patients undergo an MRI. Five gadolinium-based contrast agents have been approved for use in the United States: Magnevist (gadopentetate dimeglumine), Ominiscan (gadodiamide); OptiMARK (gadoversetamide); MultiHance; (gadobenate dimeglumine); and Prohance (gadoteridol).

Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin, Germany, manufactures Magnevist; GE Healthcare, Chalfont St. Giles, U.K., is the maker of Omniscan; OptiMARK is manufactured by Mallinckrodt, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.; and ProHance and Multihance are made by Bracco Diagnostics Inc., Princeton, N.J.

If you or someone close to you has been given a gadolinium-based contrast agent, and has subsequently developed nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), or any other serious injury, you are urged to contact the law offices of Audet & Partners at 800.965.1461 to speak to an attorney. The call is free, and there is no obligation. You may also email us below.

Act now, as delays can harm your case.

If you think that you may have been harmed by Magnevist, Ominiscan; OptiMARK ; MultiHance; or Prohance, you are strongly encouraged to contact us now. There is no charge and no obligation. If we take your case, there is no fee for our services unless we win your case or settle it in your favor.

On the other hand, if you fail to protect your legal rights now, you may lose the right to be compensated for your harm. (Persons seeking to preserve any potential legal claims should contact an attorney promptly, since all states have mandatory time periods in which lawsuits must be filed with the courts; otherwise, they may be forever barred.)

Our firm has a great deal of experience in representing plaintiffs in "drug" cases, and in fact is currently pursuing numerous cases against some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies.

In addition, we have the resources to handle our own cases. This means that when you call our firm, you talk to your own lawyer who has been assigned to your own case.

Please contact us now. The secure form on the right only takes a couple of minutes to fill out, but if you are uncomfortable sending your information over the internet, please call our toll-free number at 800.965.1461 to immediately speak to an attorney. The call is free and there is no obligation.

Act now, as delays can harm your case.