Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Tibotec Therapeutics, makers of prescription medication Intelence (etravirine) used to control HIV infection in adults, recently notified health care professionals that the medication has been linked to a rare but life-threatening skin condition known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, SJS.

Early this year, Intelence was approved by the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of HIV. At that time, data indicated a slight risk of SJS.

SJS, and its most severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis, TEN, are identified by a rash on the skin that blisters over causing the skin to peel off in sheets. The condition is extremely painful and often requires hospitalization to treat the open wounds on the skin, mouth, eyes and other mucous membranes. Complications include infection, dehydration, vision problems, organ dysfunction and death.

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When he was not quite 2 years old, James Lumasag was diagnosed with a rare but life threatening skin condition after receiving a round of antibiotics to treat a cough and fever. The toddler fought for his life in the intensive care unit of a hospital, where he received 22 bags of plasma as his skin peeled away from his body. “His whole body, except his head, looked totally burnt,” his mother Merlyn said. “James suffered too much.”

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You’ve likely seen the commercials for Detrol. A woman is sitting in her doctor’s office and a woman-shaped figure similar to the ones seen on bathroom doors, is encouraging her to talk to her doctor about her frequent and sudden urges to go to the bathroom. The treatment has helped women find relief from overactive bladder.

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“This is not right and could have been prevented,” writes someone who commented on Cloanne Andrus Pesquera’s obituary in The Spectrum. Cloanne, 41, died May 30, 2009, after battling a rare but life-threatening condition called Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS. The woman who commented on the story said she had lost her mother to SJS/TEN in 2006. She believes Cloanne’s death, like her mother’s, could have been prevented.

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The family of a 19-year-old girl who died last March from complications of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is releasing recordings of songs she performed to help raise money for the critical care unit at Nottingham City Hospital in England, according to This is Derbyshire.

Amy Lightfoot, was diagnosed with SJS in January and spent several weeks in the critical are unit at Nottingham City Hospital until her death last March. SJS is a rare but life-threatening condition in which a rash forms on top layer of skin, blisters over and peels away. Blisters can also form on the eyes, throat, mouth and internal organs. SJS is a severe adverse reaction to medication, such as ibuprofen, antibiotics and anti-seizure medication.

The recordings will be sold along with a CD by the band No Eyed Deer, of which Amy and her boyfriend Lee Brown were members. Amy’s parents say selling the music to raise money for the hospital is a perfect way to give back to the hospital that cared for her.

“The staff who treated Amy at the hospital were just fantastic, but being there for so long makes you realize the cost of the equipment they are using – a ventilator alone costs about 30,000 pounds,” Amy’s mother Carol said.

Carol said she was previously unaware of her daughter’s recordings, which are titled Satellite and Waiting. “They were done while she was studying at the Joseph Wright Centre and we thought releasing them would be a nice way of remembering Amy, while raising money at the same time,” she said.

The year was 1963. Jenny O’Connell, then 11, was roused out of bed for her sister’s birthday and realized she couldn’t see. She was suffering from a severe adverse reaction to medication known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS. The condition blistered her skin and eyes, causing blindness. At best, she was only vaguely aware when doctors shined a light in her eyes. But the vision impairment didn’t keep her from living. She married and had a son and daughter – three people she had never had the opportunity to see.

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Good news for Canadian resident Lisa, the little sister of Dundas Star News managing editor Mark Cripps. The woman was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) two-plus weeks ago after taking antibiotics that had been prescribed to her following minor surgery. She suffered a rare but life-threatening severe adverse reaction to the antibiotics, SJS, which resulted in rashes all over her body that blistered over and caused her skin to peel off in sheets. After a two-week stay in the hospital, where she was treated as if she had suffered serious burns, the woman was able to go home.

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Jean McCawley is a most deserving recipient of ABC 7’s Extreme Makeover: American Dream contest. The Westminster, Colorado, woman has been through a lot in the past several years, but she has kept her focus on helping others.

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Good news for the family of Michigan middle school student Sara Ensley. The girl returned home from the hospital weeks earlier than expected after experiencing a severe adverse reaction to medication known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, according to the Grand Haven Tribune.

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It happened suddenly for Sara Ensley of Grand Haven, Michigan. She first complained of irritated eyes and a sore throat on March 7, her 14th birthday. Two days later she had developed a rash on her body, blisters in her mouth and a fever. Her mother took her to the emergency room where doctors diagnosed her with a virus and sent her home. But her condition worsened overnight. The blisters in her mouth began popping and she started vomiting. Her mother rushed her back to the emergency room where doctors immediately identified the problem – Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

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