...even though Johnson & Johnson probably had to spend billions in trials and testing to get the blessing of our FDA to even allow this drug on the market.
Why then isn´t the FDA on the hook for this too? I don´t think its fair to have it both ways. They cost the company billions in testing PLUS delays in bring product to market and then are subject to lawsuits when a freak issue happens.
Sad what happened to this person, but $63 million is ridiculous!

The article points out that the older, prescription form of the drug listed Stevens-Johnson as a possible side effect, but the over-the-counter variation did not list it as a possible side effect.

While fortunately I never faced a situation this severe, I have been in a situation where seven doctors told me that a specific medicine couldn´t possibly cause the symptom I was seeing in my child. I finally put my foot down, removed the medicine, and the symptom went away. "Oh," the docs said. So I can easily believe that this family followed doctors´ orders and watched their child deteriorate due to a medication.

Doctors can be as gullible as the rest of us in believing in modern medicines. Yes, side effects may be rare, but not impossible.

Probably overturned on appeal. All drugs today have warning labels of potential side effects. J&J didn´t force them to take the Motrin.

Any drug can cause an allergic reaction and any new medication should be stopped if your breaking out in a rash or hives...these parents kept giving he the medication. I see no mention as to whether they actually contacted a doctor or what her inital symptoms were. Feel sorry for the child tho, this had to be horribly painful.

An earlier article said the family was awarded 109 million. Just sayin.

Another example of a deep flaw in the legal system - and a spectacular example of the entitlement and victim mentality running rampant in modern Western society. Everybody is entitled to a perfect life, no risks, no harm - or someone has got to pay and pay big time. This childish, selfish attitude and behavior has far ramifying consequences for everyone. It is depressing to think that lawyers were able to suck a jury into this scheme. It reminds me of what a lawyer told me years ago: the average IQ of an American jury is 90. I don´t know whether that is true or based on scientific investigation, but it would explain a lot if it were.

Thousands of people have died of overdose, complications or ´side effects´ of ´recreational´ drugs. No one is ever sued, no one but the user is responsible for the consequences.

While I believe drugs are way over-used/prescribed in this country, I too think it is ridiculous that drug companies spend millions of dollars in trial-tests and such to clear the government hurdles only to pay millions more to the rare individual who has an adverse reaction to something the next thousand can take without complication.

An anecdote: Years ago, when I was fifteen or sixteen years old, I one day became covered with great-awful itching welts all over my body. They lasted a couple of days, the doctor couldn´t say what caused them, and they went away on their own. Today, at 58 years of age, I´ve never had a repeat episode.

We have different reactions to all kinds of things all around us - and this can change from year to year. This girl might never have had this happen a month later or with a slight change in her diet. It is a terrible thing but, despite the fact that few a children die from inoculations or have died because of air-bags in cars, our society has decided these things save lives over the long-haul. Unfortunately, for certain individuals, they can cause great tragedy. There is no easy answer - each must be allowed to decide for themselves and pay the consequence. Someone else is not always responsible for another´s tragedy.

Don´t worry the family won´t be seeing much of the money, most is for the lawyers.

I cannot imagine parents not taking a hard look and a hard stand about their child´s medication when her health is failing rapidly.
Doctors are not God... they are necessary and helpful, but as humans can err... so events must be watched.

Re #5, FTA:

If the award is upheld by the trial judge, Henry estimated that the total award against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, would total $109 million after the court adds in interest.

Always a good idea to read article before posting.

There is no drug out there that someone, somewhere isn´t allergic to. The drug companies would have to test every drug on every person on earth to find them all.
My son almost died from Stevens-Johnson because of an allergic reaction to Ampicillin. There was no way to tell in advance he would have a bad reaction.