From prescription medicine to over-the-counter meds, if a drug causes you harm, you may be able to file a lawsuit against its manufacturer.
When we go to a doctor or seek medical advice from a professional such as a pharmacist, we expect that this information will be helpful. We also expect that the medications that we take — whether they are prescribed by a doctor or available over-the-counter — are both safe and effective. But in some cases, the drugs that we take can do more harm than good, leaving you worse off than if you had never taken the medication in the first place.
In the United States, both prescription and over-the-counter medications are tightly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many people assume that this means that if a drug is on the market, it must be safe — but this is not necessarily true. While our medications in the United States are generally safe, there are exceptions — and people have gotten seriously hurt and have even died as a result.
Most medications have some side effects, many of which are mild and expected. These may include dry mouth, headaches, rashes, fatigue or drowsiness. But in other cases, the potential side effects are serious and may even be fatal. For example, we know that certain antidepressants in the SSRI group can cause increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, and puts pregnant women at risk for their children having autism or a birth defect. The anti-nausea drug Zoran carries risks of heart problems, as does the antibiotic Zithromax (marketed as Z-pack). There are many prescription drugs that have significant dangers, warranting what is known as a “black box warning” from the FDA to advise potential consumers of the possible dangerous side effects of the medication.
In other situations, a medication has proven to be so dangerous that it had to pulled from the market entirely — despite being initially approved by the FDA. This includes anti-inflammatory drugs like Bextra and Vioxx, both of which were taken off the market because they caused an increased risk of problems such as heart attacks, strokes and death.
If you have been harmed by a dangerous drug, you may be able to file a lawsuit to recover damages for your injuries. This is true whether you were hurt yourself or if a loved one died due to using a medication that may have been approved by the FDA, but nevertheless caused an injury or illness.
Suing a large pharmaceutical company requires both skill and knowledge. At PLBH, we have more than 50 years of experience representing clients in all types of lawsuits, including those for products liability. If you have been hurt by taking a dangerous drug, whether that medication was prescribed or purchased over-the-counter, you may be eligible for significant compensation for your injuries. Contact our office today at (800) 435-7542 or info@plblaw.com to schedule a free initial consultation. We will fight for your right to recover damages for your dangerous drug injuries, and will stand by you through each step of the process. In many cases, we can work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we will not charge you a fee unless we recover money for you.