Filing A Dangerous Drug Lawsuit
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 88 percent of Americans over 60 were using at least one medication in 2010, while more than one-third were taking five or more. At the same time, almost 30 percent of teens were taking pharmaceutical drugs, as were 22 percent of children under 12 years of age.
As more and more Americans take prescription pills, pharmaceutical companies are rushing to meet the need and enjoy the profits. In some cases, this results in new drugs that are rushed to market without the appropriate safety testing.
All medications come with potential side effects, but typically these are listed on the warning label so patients and their physicians can make informed decisions. Side effects for some dangerous drugs, however, are not discovered until thousands of patients have used them, leading to unnecessary injuries and sometimes, wrongful death. In these cases, patients have every right to contact a New York product liability lawyer to find out if they may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit.
When a patient may be eligible to file a dangerous drugs lawsuit
Drug makers have a legal responsibility to make sure their products are safe for public use. They have to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can sell their product on the market. Despite these requirements, some drugs still end up in the hands of patients with hidden risks.
Patients who are injured by a prescription medication may want to speak to a New York product liability lawyer if:
- There is no warning on the drug label concerning the risk for the injury suffered
- The warning about the injury was not strong enough or visible enough
- There is a warning on the current label, but that warning didn’t exist when the patient first started using the medication
- The label noted the side effect, but stated it would go away upon discontinuation of the drug, and it didn’t
- The patient can prove the drug most likely caused the injury, through medical records, medical expert testimony, and scientific support
- The patient belongs to a certain at-risk group that was neglected in pre-marketing drug safety studies
Current litigation involving dangerous drugs
Many manufacturers are currently defending dangerous drug lawsuits in courts around the country. The following are some of the allegations raised by plaintiffs.
- Yaz/Yasmin birth control: Plaintiffs allege manufacturer, Bayer, failed to provide adequate warnings about the risks of blood clots and related injuries. So far, Bayer has negotiated settlements in over 3,000 cases, totaling over $700 million.
- Actos diabetes drug: Plaintiffs claim manufacturer Takeda failed to provide warnings about the risks of bladder cancer. The FDA stated in 2011 that patients taking the drug for more than a year may be at an increased risk for bladder cancer and scientific studies have confirmed these findings.
- Zoloft and other SSRI antidepressants: Plaintiffs contend that drug maker Pfizer failed to warn about the potential for birth defects when pregnant women take Zoloft. Scientific studies have proven that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants increase risks for heart, abdominal, cranial, spinal tube, and other birth defects.
How a New York product liability lawyer can help
Dangerous drugs can cause life-threatening injuries and even death. If you or a loved one suffered an injury because of one of the above medications, or because of others like Pradaxa, Crestor, Zocor, Accutane or Chantix, contact a product liability lawyer at The Sanders Firm for more information. You may be eligible to recover damages in court. The consultation is free and we never collect any payment unless you secure compensation. 1-800-FAIR-PLAY ResourcesMercola.com,15 Dangerous Drugs Big Pharma Shoves Down Your Throat https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/09/15-dangerous-drugs-big-pharma-shoves-down-our-throats.aspx