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Pharmaceutical Litigation: Those Injured by Defective Drugs Can Seek Attorney Assistance

The pharmaceutical industry is huge and very influential. For blockbuster medications, drug companies often achieve extraordinary profit margins that are unheard of in other industries. Because of the amounts of money that depend on prospective drugs being approved by the Food and Drug Administration, some feel that pharmaceutical companies exert undue influence over the FDA approval process. Oftentimes, manufacturers run the clinical trials that are performed to establish the efficacy and safety of their own drugs. Some pharmaceutical companies have been accused of intentionally minimizing the appearance of risk in order to receive FDA approval and public acceptance. Unfortunately, patients can be seriously injured when taking drugs with unacceptably high risks, when safer medications were available.

Patients harmed by defective drugs should contact an attorney who will fight to recover damages for medication-related injury and death. Fortunately for victims, those who manufacture or distribute defective drugs can be held accountable for various types of negligent behavior. For example, when manufacturers fail to properly warn patients about potential serious side effects, they can be held accountable for product liability. When doctors or pharmacists accidentally prescribe or give the wrong medication to patients, this is considered medical malpractice.

If you or a loved one was adversely affected by one of the defective drugs listed below, an attorney can help.

Defective Drugs:

Accutane®

Commonly prescribed to treat severe nodular acne, Accutane® has been linked to a number of serious side effects, including birth defects, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

Baycol®

Bayer Pharmaceuticals withdrew Baycol® after reports linked the cholesterol lowering drug to rhabdomyolysis, a potentially fatal condition characterized by the breakdown of muscle tissue.

Bextra®

The FDA asked Pfizer to withdraw this popular painkiller after a number of patients developed serious skin reactions while taking Bextra®. The medication is also a COX-2 inhibitor, a class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

Ephedra

The FDA regulated this natural occurring form of ephedrine after reports linked the drug to cardiac problems and stroke. Ephedra was once used in a number of dietary supplements designed to promote weight loss.

Fen-Phen

A combination of fenfluramine and phentermine, fen-phen was once widely used to treat obesity. Fen-phen products, along with Redux® (dexfenfluramine) and Pondimin® (fenfluramine), were recalled after tests linked the defective drugs to heart valve disease.

Propulsid®

Janssen Pharmaceutics discontinued marketing Propulsid®, a treatment for nighttime heartburn, after the drug was associated with serious cardiac arrhythmias.

Rezulin®

The FDA asked the manufacturers of Rezulin® to remove the diabetes drug from the market due to the risk of liver toxicity. Research showed that Rezulin® is more toxic to the liver than two similar drugs that offer the same benefits.

Vioxx®

This popular painkiller produced by Merck was recalled in 2004 after research indicated that Vioxx® doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who had taken the drug over a specified period of time.

Zyprexa®

The best selling schizophrenia drug in the world, Zyprexa® has been linked to numerous reports of hyperglycemia, diabetes, and ketoacidosis in recent years.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by taking one of these defective drugs, contact an attorney right away. A victim may be able to recover financial compensation from those responsible for his or her condition.