About FDA & Pescription Drugs

Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

General Description

Prescription drugs are very valuable for many people who have acute or chronic medical conditions and need relief from symptoms like pain, nausea, and inflammation. When these drugs are correctly tested and properly labeled, they can substantially increase the quality of life of many people. Unfortunately, many prescription drugs are put on the market that eventually causes serious side effects for many users. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulates these drugs, but dangerous drugs can make it to the market because such serious consequences of long term use were not discovered or anticipated during the clinical trials used to test the drugs. When it is determined that the possible harmful side effects outweigh the advertised benefits of a drug, that drug is then recalled by the FDA.

There are many drugs that have been recalled because of their harmful side effects, along with drugs that have not been recalled but are known to cause dangerous side effects. VIOXX is one of the most well-known of the recalled drugs. Used to treat arthritis, VIOXX was recalled by its manufacturer in 2004 because of the substantially increased risk of stroke and heart attack in patients using the drug. The FDA asked the manufacturer of Bextra to recall the drug in 2005 due to the potential for skin reactions. Other arthritis drugs with known adverse affects include Celebrex and Arava.

Some diet drugs have also been determined to be very harmful when taken over a long period of time or taken by people in high-risk groups. One of the major concerns with diet drugs is cardiovascular events due to the increase in heart rate caused by many of these medications. Some diet drugs that have been known to cause serious problems include Meridia, Ephedra, Fen-Phen, and Kava. Fen-Phen was found to have caused heart valve damage, narrowing of the blood vessels in the lungs, and neuropsychological damage. As a result of the harmful effects of Fen-Phen, its manufacturers settled a lawsuit for $3.75 billion and the drug is no longer available on the market.

There are other dangerous drugs that do not fall under the category of arthritis drugs or diet aids. The prescription drug Baycol, which is used to treat high cholesterol, was removed from the market in 2001 because 31 people using the drug developed rhabdomyolysis. This is a serious condition of the muscles that can lead to kidney failure and even death. Fentanyl patches deliver doses of a drug that is 100 times stronger than morphine. When they work properly, these patches can be important pain management tools. Unfortunately, some of the patches have been defective, allowing uncontrolled amounts of the drug to be delivered into the bloodstream. The manufacturer recalled specific lots of the patches and has been involved in several drug lawsuits.

At Napoli Bern Ripka LLP, we understand that the side effects of defective drugs can be very serious. If you or a love one have been harmed by a defective drug, contact us to discuss your options for filing a claim and recovering compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Personal Injury

Medical Malpractice