Defective Drug Lawyers

When your doctor prescribes a medication or recommends a procedure that is supposed to cure an ailment or illness that you are suffering from, you trust that the medication or procedure will not put your health and well-being at risk. As a consumer, you are entitled to know what side effects a medication could cause, but sometimes it’s not as easy as reading a  label or disclaimer form and knowing exactly what to expect. The number of drugs that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve are higher than in past years, resulting in many drugs being put on the market before being tested thoroughly.

There are a number of medications currently being prescribed that cause serious and, in rare occasions, fatal side effects. If you or someone you know have been seriously injured by a defective drug, the first instinct might be to blame the doctor who prescribed the drug. However, legal action against drug manufacturers, sellers, and distributors for factors such as:

• Negligence
• Product liability
• Breach of warranty, and
• other factors

Are becoming more common and accepted in the legal community. Manufacturers and distributors are putting drugs on the market that could cause serious harm, and need to be held liable for their actions.

What types of defective drugs are causing serious problems?

At Denena Points, PC, our experienced pharmaceutical litigation attorneys have worked with clients who have been harmed by the following medications:

IVC Filters

An IVC (inferior vena cava) filter is a filter that is placed in the inferior vena cava, a large vein in the abdomen that returns blood from the lower body to the heart. If a blood clot develops in the leg or pelvis, which is known as deep vein thrombosis, pieces of the clot could travel to the lungs. The IVC filter is put in to keep these pieces from traveling to the heart or lungs. The filter is not put in with an incision, only a small nick in the skin that does not have to be stitched closed. However, patients of IVC filter treatment have experienced potentially serious side effects, such as:

• Infection
• Allergic reaction
• Damage to blood vessels, bruising, and bleeding
• The filter changing positions and penetrating the vein, which can sometimes cause injury to a nearby organ
• The filter or a piece of the filter breaking off, traveling to the heart or lungs causing serious injury or death
• The IVC filter becoming filled with blood clots, causing swelling in the legs
• And more

Transvaginal Mesh

Surgical mesh products were originally designed for hernia operations. Drug manufacturers recently began selling vaginal surgical mesh products to treat incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women. Between 2005 and 2010, there were nearly 3,900 reported injuries as a result of surgical mesh procedures, including a number of deaths. On May 1st, 2014, the FDA proposed that vaginal mesh inserts for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) be re-classified as a high risk device.

Did you know that, as early as 2015, an estimated 70,000 women have filed lawsuits against mesh insert manufacturers after being injured by serious side effects caused by mesh inserts?

Complications as a result of mesh insert surgeries include:

• Erosion- the mesh wears through the women’s soft internal tissue. This can cause extreme pain, infections, and other serious side effects including pain during sexual intercourse.
• Organ Perforation- If the mesh begins to erode, it can travel and damage organs such as the bladder, urethra, bowel or rectum.

Common Side Effects

You should consider contacting one of our experienced pharmaceutical litigation attorneys if you or someone you know are experiencing the following side effects following a mesh insert procedure:

• Severe pelvic, genital or groin pain
• Recurrence of prolapse or incontinence
• Nerve damage
• Fistulas Vaginal scarring
• Degrading of the mesh Infection, including urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Neuro-muscular problems Autoimmune problems[/one_half]
• Vaginal shrinkage or shortening
• Vaginal bleeding
• Blood in the stool or urine
• Hematomas
• Painful sexual intercourse
• Urinary retention
• Vaginal discharge Bruising[/one_half]

Lipitor

Lipitor is a prescription drug manufactured by Pfizer used to treat high cholesterol. It’s one of the highest-prescribed medications of all-time, with sales of over $130 billion. However, the prescription drug has recently been linked with type-2 diabetes, and a number of lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer on behalf of those who have suffered serious, life-threatening injuries. These lawsuits claim that Pfizer:

• Ignored risks, and marketed the drugs as safe and effective despite being aware of risks of increasing blood glucose levels and developing type 2 diabetes
• Engaged in negligent conduct, and is liable for “negligent and wrongful conduct in connection with the design, development, manufacture, testing, packaging, promoting, marketing, distribution, labeling, and/or sale of Lipitor.”
• Failed in its duty to monitor Lipitor’s safety
• Misled consumers by engaging in overly aggressive and misleading marketing, while failing to provide patients and their physicians with information that could have prevented injuries
• Inadequately labeled their product-  information printed between December 1996 and February 2012 “never warned patients of any potential relation between changes in blood sugar levels and taking Lipitor,” and did not warn consumers of “the serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes … when using Lipitor.”
• And more.

Do I have a defective pharmaceutical case?

If you or someone you know have experienced issues or side effects as a result of a defective pharmaceutical drug or device, we’d be happy to speak with you. We offer a free consultation where one of our Houston Board Certified Personal Injury Attorneys can inform you whether or not you may be entitled to financial compensation as a result of the injuries you or a loved one have suffered. Contact us today at (713) 807-9500 or by filling out the form below, and we’ll respond as soon as possible.

Thousands of people across the United States have been injured by drug manufacturers who are more interested in increasing sales and revenues of their products than the well-being of others. Don’t let them get away with this. Contact one of our experienced attorneys today.