Gadolinium is an agent commonly used prior to MRIs. Problems are starting to emerge in those with kidney disease. Lawyers are on to it:
Walker, 71, said he suffers from a rare condition called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, in which skin turns hard and joints become inflexible.
He believes he got the condition when he was injected last year at University Hospitals with a prescription drug containing the metal gadolinium before having magnetic resonance imaging.
His lawyers filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court against the makers of the drug, Optimark. The lawsuit comes a few months after the Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation into a possible link between nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and drugs used in MRIs, including Optimark, when injected into patients with kidney ailments.
His lawyers believe their lawsuit is among the first of its kind in the country.
