Tepezza, a drug prescribed for the treatment of thyroid eye disease, is allegedly responsible for long-term hearing issues in multiple instances.

In a lawsuit filed by Johnson//Becker attorneys, Lisa Nethery, a resident of North Carolina, alleges Tepezza caused "permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus," according to the Complaint. Nethery's is the second lawsuit filed by Johnson//Becker attorneys representing a plaintiff injured by Tepezza's manufacturer Horizon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The lawsuit is filed in Illinois, where Horizon is headquartered.

Nethery took Tepezza from only June 2021 to July 2021 for treatment of ocular symptoms including double vision and dry eyes. Her Complaint alleges Horizon failed to warn either drug recipients or prescribers of the risk of hearing loss and tinnitus, or ringing of the ears.

Tepezza was approved for use by the FDA in 2020. According to the Complaint, clinical testing submitted to the FDA  for Tepezza consisted of just two trials, with only 84 patients taking the brand-new compound. Reports of hearing loss in the trials were represented as "temporary and generally of limited duration."

A subsequent study, documenting usage after Tepezza had hit the market and capturing the experience of thousands of patients, found 10 percent of recipients reported either hearing loss, tinnitus, or both. Meanwhile, numerous studies conducted by doctors, most recently in August 2022, have discussed the association of those side effects with the use of Tepezzaa.

Horizon Pharmaceuticals "willfully, wantonly and intentionally conspired, and acted in concert, to ignore relevant safety concerns and to deliberately not study the safety and efficacy of Tepezza," according to the Complaint.

The suit is filed by Timothy Becker and Stacy Hauer. Timothy Becker is a founding partner of Johnson//Becker, PLLC