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.
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:
Aprotinin
| Bextra |
Celebrex |
Crestor | Dilantin |
Duragesic Patch |
Effexor |
Fosamax
|
Ketek | Ortho Evra Contraceptive Patch
| Paxil |
PPH/Fen Phen |
ReNu MoistureLoc
Trasylol | Viagra |
Zyprexa
 Aprotinin
Dangers
A commonly used drug during heart surgery could
cause serious complications including kidney damage, an increased
risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke. The drug called
Aprotinin (the brand name is Trasylol), is used to control bleeding
on as many as 1 million heart and bypass surgery patients per year.
Learn More:
Aprotinin
Bextra
Health Concerns
Bextra (valdecoxib) is in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Bextra’s label already warns against
serious skin reactions as a possible side effect, including
Stevens-Johnson Syndrom, and some trials found an increased risk of
unspecified “cardiovascular events” in Bextra patients who had cardiac
bypass surgery.
Learn More: Bextra
 Celebrex
Side Effects
Drugmaker Pfizer has announced that,
based on recent studies, the nation's leading arthritis drug Celebrex
raises the risk of heart attack when taken in high dosages. Pfizer has
said that it will not recall Celebrex, however it has stopped its'
aggressive advertising campaign for the arthritis drug. The FDA is
reviewing the findings from the recent drug study.
If you, or a loved one, has taken
Celebrex and suffered any side effects, the lawyers of the MEDLAW Legal
Team can help protect your rights.
Learn More: Celebrex
 Crestor Side Effects
U.S. researchers reported Monday, May 23, 2005, that the cholesterol-lowering drug
Crestor has more than double the side effects of rival statin drugs,
including deaths. In March, the
Food and Drug Administration contended that
Crestor's
risks were no greater than its competitors. Still, the FDA ordered a
warning on the label, saying Crestor could cause serious muscle
problems and kidney damage, especially among Asians.
Learn More: Crestor
 Dilantin
Dangers
Recent studies suggest a possible link between Dilantin and
Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a
life-threatening skin disease that can cause rash, skin peeling, and
sores on the mucous membranes. A review of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
patients indicates that nearly all cases are caused by a reaction to
a drug, most often sulfa antibiotics; barbiturates; anticonvulsants
and certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Learn More:
Dilantin
Duragesic Pain Patch
Side Effects
On Friday, July 15, 2005, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory
regarding the safe use of transdermal fentanyl patches, which are
used for pain control, and is conducting an investigation into 120
deaths associated with the patches.
Learn More: Duragesic Pain Patch
 Effexor
Dangers
In October 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration warned doctors to prescribe Effexor in the smallest
possible quantities, to reduce the risk of overdose. In a letter to
health-care providers, Wyeth, the maker of Effexor (venlafaxine HCI),
stated that death had been reported from overdose of the drug. The
letter was posted on the FDA Web site, and requested that doctors
prescribe low doses “consistent with good patient management.”
Learn More:
Effexor
 Fosamax
Dangers
Recent studies, however, suggest a link between
the use of bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax, and osteonecrosis. This
condition is associated with the interference of the blood supply to
the bone and the consequential damage that occurs. The majority of
the reported cases are in cancer patients who are having, or have
had, a dental procedure.
Learn More:
Fosamax
 Ketek
Dangers
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that the
antibiotic drug, Ketek, could cause liver failure. Ketek, a
telithromycin, is used to treat acute upper respiratory tract
diseases including forms of chronic bronchitis, haemophilus
influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis.
Learn More: Ketek
Ortho Evra Contraceptive Patch Dangers
On November 11, 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
announced that the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch exposes the
millions of women who use them to levels of estrogen far higher than
most daily birth control pills, putting them at higher risk for
blood clots. 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 Contraceptive Patch
 Paxil
Side Effects
On December 8, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration issued a warning against the use of the
antidepressant Paxil by pregnant women. The warning was based on
preliminary results from two studies that suggested the
GlaxoSmithKline drug may raise the risk of birth defects.
Learn More:
Paxil
 PPH
& Fen-Phen Dangers
There has been increasing evidence that the
drug combination Fen-Phen can cause serious and sometimes fatal
complications, including Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH), years
after the prescription drug was recalled.
Learn More:
PPH &
Fen-Phen
 ReNu
MoistureLoc Solution Dangers
After health officials linked its product to a
serious eye infection, Bausch & Lomb announced the suspension of
shipments of its contact solution ReNu with MoistureLoc on April 10,
2006. Health officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of
increasing numbers of a serious fungal infection of the eye in those
who were contact lenses, which could lead to blindness.
Learn More:
ReNu MoistureLoc Solution
Trasylol
Side Effects
A commonly used drug during heart surgery could
cause serious complications including kidney damage, an increased
risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke. The drug called
Aprotinin (the brand name is Trasylol), is used to control bleeding
on as many as 1 million heart and bypass surgery patients per year.
Learn More:
Trasylol
 Viagra
Side Effects
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been asked to
add the most serious of warnings to Viagra’s label because of new
reports linking the medication to vision loss. Some of the more than
23 million men who have used Viagra have gone blind, and a recent
study shows that Viagra increases blood circulation to the optic
nerve, causing a type of vision loss called NAION, for non-arteritic
anterior ischemic optic. NAION occurs when small arteries
surrounding the eye do not get enough blood, causing a spontaneous
stroke in the optic nerve.
Learn More:
Viagra
 Zyprexa
Dangers
On the evening of June 9, 2005, Eli Lilly & Co.
announced that it will pay nearly $700 million to settle about
three-quarters of the liability claims that labels on its
anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa failed to provide adequate warning that
the drug could put patients more at risk for developing diabetes.
Learn More:
Zyprexa
If
you have suffered an injury, illness, or pain and suffering because of
prescription drugs, you should contact us at info@consultwebs.com
or (919) 272-8052, 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).
Additional Medical Alerts:
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