IRVINE, Calif., May 24 (UPI) -- A lawsuit that sought $60.5 million from the maker of Botox, claiming the drug caused a man's Guillain-Barre Syndrome, has been settled, the drug company said.
Allergan, the pharmaceutical company based in Irvine, Calif., that manufactures Botox, was sued by Thomas McGee of Missouri, when he developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome after Botox injections for back pain. In February, a jury in an Orange County, Calif., trial could not decide if Allergan was responsible, the Orange County (Calif.) Register said.
The case was heading for a second trial June 4, but was settled May 14, Ray Chester, McGee's lawyer, said.
The settlement amount was confidential, but Chester, who has won millions for other clients in Botox lawsuits, said, "All I can really say is the clients are happy," in reference to McGee and his wife.
McGee lost his independence, now walks with crutches and is unable to work, Chester told the jury in closing arguments during the first trial.
Allergan attorney Vaughn Crawford, in his closing arguments, said there was no medical evidence Botox caused McGee's disease, and said the company was looking into potential health risks in 2008, the year McGee received his injections.
