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Thurston v. Merck and Co. Inc.

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Mar 9, 2011
415 F. App'x 585 (5th Cir. 2011)

Opinion

No. 10-20485 Summary Calendar.

March 9, 2011.

Charles Thurston, Porter, TX, pro se.

Joe William Tomaselli, Jr., Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan Baum, L.L.P., Dallas, TX, Andrew L. Goldman, Attorney, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan Baum, L.L.P., Chicago, IL, for Defendant-Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, USDC No. 4:09-CV-3629.

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, SMITH, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.


Charles Thurston appeals the dismissal of his complaint alleging he suffered muscle damage from the cholesterol-reducing drug Zocor. He says he learned that his injuries were possible side effects of the drug from various websites and that, had he known of these possible side effects in advance, he would not have taken the drug. He has not pointed to any medical evidence confirming his alleged injuries or connecting them to his use of the drug.

Even if Thurston could show he was injured by Zocor, the district court correctly dismissed Thurston's complaint under Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. The FDA-approved warning label for Zocor lists both "myopathy" (muscle damage) and "rhabdomyolysis" (a form of myopathy affecting skeletal muscle tissue) as known side effects. Thurston's failure-to-warn claim fails because Texas law provides that an FDA-approved warning label is presumed to be an adequate warning, TEX. CIV. PRAC. REM. CODE § 82.007(a), unless the plaintiff can satisfy one of five enumerated exceptions, id. § 82.007(b). Thurston's complaint does not plead facts sufficient to meet any of the exceptions.

AFFIRMED.


Summaries of

Thurston v. Merck and Co. Inc.

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Mar 9, 2011
415 F. App'x 585 (5th Cir. 2011)
Case details for

Thurston v. Merck and Co. Inc.

Case Details

Full title:Charles THURSTON, Plaintiff-Appellant v. MERCK AND COMPANY INC.…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

Date published: Mar 9, 2011

Citations

415 F. App'x 585 (5th Cir. 2011)

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