Prescription Drug Side Effects / Pharmaceutical Litigation
MedLaw Legal Team Attorneys /
Physicians Law Practice - Lawyers serving victims of
prescription drugs
Why are prescription drug recalls so frequently discussed in the media?
Prescription drugs are often rushed to market without adequate
testing.
The long-term effects of prescription medications are difficult
to determine.
Tests that you and I think are performed by the FDA are sometimes
done by laboratories and are funded by the drug manufacturer.
In
some instances, people have to suffer injury or die before a
prescription medication recall is instituted.
When an injury occurs and a lawsuit is filed, the case will be
based on personal injury law and typically fall into subcategories such
as pharmaceutical injury law, product failure or medical
malpractice/negligence.
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Lawsuits,
in which the foundation is a medication, can also be based on improperly
filled prescriptions.
Either a medication is prescribed that contradicts a medication
that the patient is already taking or a pharmacist gives an incorrect
medication or dosage.
In a situation such as this, pharmacists and/or doctors would be
held liable.
If a person dies due to a medication, a wrongful death case may
be filed.
Other times, a medication causes serious illnesses or side
effects during its manufacturing, at which time the drug manufacturer is
held accountable.
Medications
with problematic safety records that you may be familiar with include:
Hormone Replacement Therapy
 For 40 years, women have been encouraged to take drugs for hot flashes,
night sweats, mood swings, and protection from brittle bones and heart
attacks. Eighty-five percent of the six million women taking
estrogen-progestin therapy are prescribed Prempro. The name "Prempro"
comes from the prior drugs of Premarin and Provera. There have been many
articles in the mainstream press in the last ten years which have
concluded that these specific medications can cause cancer, bone loss,
heart disease etc.
Learn More: Hormone
Replacement
Ortho
Evra
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) announced on November 11, 2005 that the Ortho
Evra contraceptive patch exposes millions of women who use the patch
to levels of estrogen far higher than most daily birth control
pills, putting them at higher risk for blood clots than previously
disclosed. The FDA also approved updated labeling for the Ortho Evra
contraceptive patch to warn healthcare providers and patients about
the increased risk.
Learn More:
Ortho Evra
 Zelnorm
On
March 30, 2007 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced
that Novartis Pharmaceuticals had agreed
to the FDA's request that they voluntarily discontinue marketing and
sales of Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate).
According to the FDA, Zelnorm has been
associated with an €śincreased risk of serious cardiovascular adverse
events (heart problems).€ť In addition to heart problems, risks
included ovarian cysts and fainting spells.
Learn More:
Zelnorm Recall
Gadolinium and NSF
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSD), and Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD), are serious medical conditions that occur in individuals who have a history of kidney or liver dysfunction, and who have received an MRI or MRA scan with a Gadolinium based contrast agent.
Learn More:
Gadolinium
 Ketek
On
June 29, 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered the makers
of Ketek to put a stronger warning on the drug labels because of its
link to serious liver injury, liver failure and death. The FDA
has
received reports of 12 cases of acute liver failure, including four
deaths, in patients treated with Ketek, according to an internal agency
memo. FDA safety evaluators also uncovered 23 other cases where patients
suffered serious liver injuries after receiving the antibiotic, also
called telithromycin.
Learn More:
Ketek
 Vioxx
Dangers
Drugmaker Merck & Co. has pulled its best-selling arthritis drug Vioxx
off the market, based on data indicating the drug increases the risk of
heart attack and stroke among users. Vioxx was approved by the US Food
and Drug Administration in June of 1999. It has been widely prescribed
since its introduction - over 52 million times. Vioxx is a
non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and is in a class of
drugs commonly referred to as a "Cox-2 Inhibitors."
Learn More: About The Vioxx Recall |
Questions & Answers |
Vioxx News |
Free Claim Evaluation
 Guidant & Medtronic Heart Defibrillators
An
implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a device that monitors
heart rhythms, and delivers shocks if dangerous rhythms are detected.
Several defibrillator
recalls are linked to a potential flaw where some could short circuit
and not work at all. So, at the very moment when the patient's life
depends on the reliability of the ICD, the device can malfunction.
Learn More:
Recalled Defibrillators
 Dangers
On June 9, 2005, Eli Lilly and Co. entered into an agreement in principle to settle 75 percent of the claims against the company related to its popular schizophrenia medication, . Eli Lilly will establish a fund, not to exceed $690 million, to settle about 8,000 claims of damages from patients who assert that they developed diabetes-related conditions from their use of .
Learn More:
If
you have suffered an injury, illness, or pain and suffering because of
prescription drugs, you should contact us at prescriptiondrugs@medlawlegalteam.com
or 1-888-4-MEDLAW, so we can
assist you in determining if you are entitled to receive compensation
for the harm caused to you.
Time is of the essence.
Litigation may be the only way to receive the damages to which
you may be entitled.
Such damages will likely include lost wages, medical bills,
and/or financial compensation to heirs (in the case of a wrongful
death).
Our MedLaw Legal Team of nurse lawyers, on staff board certified
OB-GYN, and certified nurse paralegals will review your situation and
inform you promptly as to whether you have a case.
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