7 Healthcast

Air Date: Monday, February 14, 2005

email this article to a friend

Children's Advil Warning

A popular children's drug is being blamed for a little girl's death. Her parents are warning others about the dangers, and taking the drug's maker to court. 7's Janet Wu with the story.

Her name was Heather. She was just three years old and perfect in her parents' eyes. But everything changed after a simple fever two years ago. Under a doctor's advice, Heather's parents - Andrew and Darlene - gave her a few separate doses of the over-the-counter medicine Children's Advil.

Advil is one brand name for the drug ibuprofen which doctors say can trigger problems.

Dr. Michael Cohen, Institute for Safe Medication Practices
"Aspirin and ibuprofen are known to cause bleeding in the stomach. For example, if you take too much or are sensitive to it and there are also allergic reactions to those drugs."

That may have been the case for Heather. The little girl began to show symptoms: itchy eyes, a rash, and within two weeks - burns over much of her body. Doctors diagnosed rare conditions called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis which later claimed Heather's life.

In a lawsuit against the manufacturer of Children's Advil, the girl's parents claim the company knew of a connection between the drug and those disorders - but failed to properly warn consumers.

Andrew Kiss, Father
"We just want to raise public awareness. We want parents to be aware that something like this can happen from taking something that you thought was harmless - an over the counter children's medication."

The drug maker Wyeth says in a statement that the labeling is "both appropriate and effective" and refers to the conditions Heather had as "exceedingly rare" and "can be caused by numerous medications and viral infections."

For now, Wyeth stands by Children's Advil. The Kiss family also plans to petition the FDA for label changes on the drug -- including a warning for possible adverse reactions.