Pharmaceutical Injury
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Injured by a Defective or Misprescribed Drug?
Pharmaceutical injuries are an unfortunate side effect of our modern drug-approval process. Trials that once stretched on for years or decades are now often fast-tracked to be completed in a matter of months, and the inevitable result is that mistakes slip through. In many cases, these can manifest in little more than mild side effects, but in some, a pharmaceutical injury can lead to heart attack, stroke, and death.
We have worked with many clients who were unfortunate enough to become victims of pharmaceutical injuries. We have seen such how devastating it can be when pharmaceutical companies don’t do their due diligence and allow greed to come before their customers’ safety. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective or misprescribed drug, it is important that you take the necessary steps to hold the responsible parties liable for your loss by contacting The Husband & Wife Law Team. Call our pharmaceutical injury lawyers to schedule a no-cost consultation.
What Are Common Kinds of Pharmaceutical Injuries?
When we take a prescribed drug, we do so with the belief that it will help us get better. While it is generally understood that there may be some side effects, it is assumed that the side effects will not be worse than the illness or condition itself. Sadly, with defective pharmaceutical drugs, that just isn’t the case. In fact, instead of making you better, they simply make you even more ill and cause further injuries.
In our experience, the most common pharmaceutical injuries include:
An increase in the risk of cancer
Overdose
Heart failure
Overly high or low blood pressure
Blood clots
Organ failure
Hair loss
Birth defects
Stroke
These are just the more common injuries and side effects. In rare cases, defective drugs have resulted in problems as odd as sudden gambling addictions or rage control issues. Some of the most famous injuries have included drugs that were subsequently pulled from the market due to their devastating cardiac effects. Others include ill-advised courses of treatment such as hormone replacement therapy for otherwise healthy young women. In both cases, inadequate long-term testing was completed before the drug made its way to market, resulting in many thousands of stricken patients across the country. Add to this the growing trend of "off-label" prescription, and it is no wonder so many people are injured by the improper use of pharmaceuticals each year.
How Do Prescription Drug Injuries Occur?
Often, drug trials only admit healthy people, meaning they do not include or investigate the many complications that can arise when unwell or infirm people begin taking the drugs. A great many prescriptions are also written as a result of cohort studies, which are by definition neither controlled nor scientific. On top of that, there is often an effort to get a new drug on the market as quickly as possible. The pharmaceutical company doesn’t make significant profits until the drug is being prescribed and sold. So, they are often motivated to rush the testing process, even if the results are unclear or dangerous.
Even when a drug is safely designed and manufactured, however, other issues may arise, including errors in dosage or when a physician administers the wrong drug altogether. There are many parties that handle prescriptions and drugs before the medication makes it to the patient. While this allows for there to be constant fact-checking, it also means there is a lot more room for error. Each case of pharmaceutical mistakes is preventable; however, each case also requires a carefully planned legal approach to help you recover what you deserve. The first step of that process involves finding the liable party.
Prescription Drug Injuries and Liability
After suffering an injury due to a misdiagnosis or poorly made pharmaceutical drugs, you have likely found yourself in a position where you need to file a claim but aren’t sure who to file the claim against. Determining who is liable for your injuries when it comes to such a complicated situation can be difficult. It may even require an in-depth investigation handled by your attorney. However, in our experience, there are a few parties that are most often responsible for these kinds of injuries.
The pharmaceutical company: Companies that design and manufacture drugs have an immense responsibility to do so ethically. They should run copious tests, vet all results, and make sure that the drug does what was intended and does not cause any other conditions or illnesses to develop. If the company fails in this duty, then they are the ones who should be held responsible for your injuries.
The doctor: When your doctor writes you a prescription, they should only do so if they are sure that the medication is likely to help you. This means that they should test you to be positive about your condition, check for any possible allergies, and double-check that the number of drugs they are prescribing is safe. If you are prescribed the wrong medicine or too much medication, then your doctor may be liable for your injuries.
The pharmacist: The pharmacist is the one who actually fills out your prescription. If they fill the prescription out incorrectly, either giving you the wrong medication or the wrong amount, then they could be responsible for any resulting injuries you suffer.
Speak With Our Pharmaceutical Injury Attorneys
We live in an age of wonder drugs, but that doesn't mean mistakes are not still made. When mistakes do happen, they can completely change a victim’s life for the worse. From the development of new diseases and conditions to death, pharmaceutical errors are incredibly dangerous. Speak with a drug injury attorney if you want to seek damages for the injury you have suffered. No matter if you have lost a limb or suffered a myocardial infarction, it is important to make contact with a team of experienced injury attorneys right away.
The Husband & Wife Law Team can help assemble powerful experts to testify on your behalf, so submit a free case review online.