West Palm Beach, Florida Personal Injury Lawyers
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PHARMACEUTICAL INJURIES
Pharmaceutical companies who manufacture and sell medications and medical devices have a duty to consumers to make their products reasonably safe when
used as intended. Pharmaceutical companies subject themselves to liability when they create an unreasonably dangerous product by failing to properly research the drugs for possible risks.
Just because a drug has been approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration), it is not guaranteed to be safe. This FDA approval does not protect the manufacturers from liability. These manufacturers are obligated to let you know of a drug's dangerous side effects and to inform the public of such risks.
Two commonly prescribed class of medications, one for depression and the other an arthritis painkiller, could lead to illness or even death. Other medications are under investigation for similar concerns.
Antidepressant Medications (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil)
The FDA is investigating claims that the use of antidepressant medications in teenagers is resulting in an increased risk of suicidal behavior. A government report in September of 2004 suggests that these medications increase the suicidal risk in children by as much as 3 percent.
Arthritis Medications (Vioxx, Bextra)
The use of Vioxx, a popular arthritis painkiller, is being questioned by the Food and Drug Administration because of a possible increase in the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Kidney damage is another possible risk. The American Heart Association, the National Stroke Association and the Arthritis Foundation asked Vioxx' manufacturer, Merck & Co., to do further testing.
The FDA Advisory Panel has suggested to Merck that Vioxx should carry a warning label. In fact, Merck has pulled the drug from the shelves as of September 30, 2004. Symptoms reported by patients who took Vioxx include muscle pain, liver and kidney problems, and heart failure. Investigation is ongoing into the safety of other drugs in this class, including Bextra.
Weight Loss Medications (Meridia)
A watchdog group, Public Citizen, claims that Meridia is linked to 29 deaths in the United States and wants it off the market. Both the FDA's advisory committee and the doctor at the FDA that worked on the drug thought that it was too dangerous to be approved, according to Public Citizen. Further studies are being done to test the product.
Anti-Cholesterol Medications (Crestor)
According to an analysis of the FDA's adverse drug reaction database, the rate of reported cases of acute renal failure or renal insufficiency in patients using rosuvastatin (Crestor) within one year of the drug's approval was about 75 times higher than the rate of all other statin drugs combined.
IF YOU HAVE TAKEN ANY OF THESE MEDICATIONS IN THE PAST THREE YEARS AND HAVE SUFFERED ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES, PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY THERE ARE TIME LIMITATIONS IN BRINGING THESE CLAIMS, AND FAILURE TO ACT IMMEDIATELY MAY BAR YOU FROM RECOVERING DAMAGES.