Lawyers and Attorneys at our firm are investigating cases of heart attacks, stroke, and sudden cardiac death in users of Spriva and Atrovent. ÂÂ
A study released today concludes that individuals using inhaled anticholinergic agents, such as Spriva and Atrovent, are at an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and sudden cardiac death. Specifically, use of this class of drug increased the risk of a heart attack by 53 percent, cardiovascular death by 80 percent and stroke by 46 percent.ÂÂ
The drugs at issue are inhaled anticholinergic agents, such as Spiriva and Atrovent, and are the most commonly prescribed once-daily treatment for COPD, a respiratory illness that’s the fourth largest killer in the United States.
COPD is a progressive, destructive disease of the lungs, usually brought on by smoking, for which there’s no known cure. Symptoms include restricted breathing, secretion of mucus, oxidative stress and inflammation of the airway.
Inhaled anticholinergics ease breathing in patients with COPD by preventing the airways from constricting.
In fact, inhaled tiotropium (Spiriva) is the most widely prescribed drug for COPD, used by more than 8 million patients globally since it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002. The second most commonly prescribed drug in this class is ipratropium bromide (Atrovent).
There have been previous scattered reports of an increased risk of cardiovascular events in people using Spiriva, resulting in an “early communication” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year warning of a possible increased risk of stroke with use of the drug.
In the new study, researchers found a 58 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in participants receiving inhaled anticholinergics.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEART ATTACK
- Pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes
- Pain extending beyond your chest to your shoulder, arm, back, or even to your teeth and jaw
- Increasing episodes of chest pain
- Prolonged pain in the upper abdomen
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Impending sense of doom
- Fainting
- Nausea and vomiting
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STROKE
- Trouble with walking. If you’re having a stroke, you may stumble or have sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
- Trouble with speaking. If you’re having a stroke, you may slur your speech or may not be able to come up with words to explain what is happening (aphasia). Try to repeat a simple sentence. If you can’t, you may be having a stroke.
- Paralysis or numbness on one side of the body. If you’re having a stroke, you may have sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke.
- Trouble with seeing. If you’re having a stroke, you may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision or may see double.
- Headache. A sudden, severe “bolt out of the blue” headache or an unusual headache, which may be accompanied by a stiff neck, facial pain, pain between your eyes, vomiting or altered consciousness, sometimes indicates you’re having a stroke.