Couple Files the First Suit Against the Maker of Recalled Heart Drug

An Alabama couple was the first to file a federal lawsuit against the maker of Digitek®, a heart drug that has been the subject of a national recall and blamed for health problems. Digitek was recalled in April by the pharmaceutical company Actavis Totowa LLC because of the possibility that defective tablets contained twice the approved amounts of digoxin than indicated on the label and in some cases exceeding the dose approved for medical treatment in humans. The Dyals contend in their suit that defective Digitek pills caused Bobbie Dyal to suffer permanent heart damage that is attributed to digitalis toxicity, a sometimes lethal reaction to a digoxin overdose. The suit said Bobbie Dyal began having symptoms March 21 and was later flown by helicopter to Trinity Hospital, where she remained until May 5. She underwent surgery to receive a pacemaker, according to the suit. The attorneys said Bobbie Dyal's injury occurred a few weeks before the national recall was announced by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Digitek was used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms.