The intravenous drug Natrecor has been injected into over 600,000 patients across the nation to treat heart failure. Nesiritide is sold as Natrecor and is made by Scios Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The medication was approved in 2001, but researchers recently discovered patients were more likely to die in the first month after treatment than if they were to have taken a placebo.

Natrecor causes the relaxation and enlargement of blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure, especially in the blood vessels in the lungs and heart. Natrecor is used to improve shortness of breath due to congestive heart failure (CHF).

• Natrecor is a prescription drug approved by the FDA as a therapy for hospitalized patients or those rushed to emergency rooms in acute heart failure.

• Natrecor, a drug used to treat heart failure, can worsen kidney function and make patients more likely to die, U.S. researchers reported.

• Nesiritide, marketed as Natrecor, won FDA approval in 2001. Scios Inc. is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

• Nesiritide was associated with a 40 to 50 percent higher risk of worsening kidney function when used for the treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure. And, whether using low or high doses, Nesiritide was associated with significant risk of kidney dysfunction.


Off-Label Use

Off-label use is the practice of prescribing drugs for a purpose outside the scope of the drug's approved label, most often concerning the drug's indication.

Natrecor was FDA approved in August 2001 for the sole purpose of treating patients for the most acute from of congestive heart failure to be administered intravenously to patients during hospitalization under close medical supervision.

However, the company's aggressive off-label marketing campaign has allowed the drug to be administered in outpatient clinics at a much greater dose and for longer periods of time than recommended.

Following is an excerpt from an article published in the Wall Street Journal on March 13, 2007 - Federal prosecutors are stepping up probes into Johnson & Johnson’s marketing of prescription drugs, as three attorney’s offices issued subpoenas into how the company supervises subsidiaries selling the medicines. The subpoenas indicate an escalation of the government’s interest in the way healthcare conglomerate watches over its far-flung and largely independent business units. Drugs in the spotlight include J&J’s best selling product, antipsychotic Risperdal; Topamax, a treatment for epilepsy and migraines; and Natrecor, for patients suffering from severe heart failure.

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If you took Natrecor (Nesiritide), and you have suffered kidney damage, kidney failure, or other serious medical conditions, you may be entitled to compensation. 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.

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