Calif. Jury Awards $48M in Motrin Blood Blisters Case

A Southern California jury has awarded $48 million to a man who got a severe skin disorder and mouth blood blisters after taking the pain reliever Motrin.

Christopher Trejo filed the negligence suit against McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Trejo says he was 16 when he took Motrin to get rid of aches and alleviate a fever. He says the over-the-counter drug caused his skin to become covered with lesions and his mouth to fill with blood blisters.

Trejo claimed the Motrin he took in October 2005 didn’t have adequate warnings about side effects.

City News Service reports the now-22-year-old Westchester man wasn’t in court for Monday’s verdict.

Motrin, a trade name for ibuprofen, is used to reduce fever and mild pain.