Due to the massive size of the pharmaceutical industry and the amount of capital invested in new medications, drugs are often rushed onto the marketplace without thorough and adequate testing, resulting in serious injury or death. When personal injury is sustained due to pharmaceutical drugs, whether prescription or over-the-counter, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your damages.
In order for drugs to be sold in the U.S., they must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Unfortunately, the FDA often inadequately tests medications before products are released to the public. Other times, insufficient or misleading warning labels adorn the bottles, which can cause patients to inadvertently abuse their drugs.
We take drugs at the recommendation of our physicians, entrusting our health and well being to the pharmaceutical companies and their products. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical injury caused by defective drugs is all too common and instead of drugs improving our quality of life, they actually cause serious injury or even wrongful death.
Injuries Caused by Defective Drugs
With dollar signs flashing in their eyes, pharmaceutical companies are prone to release drugs before fully realizing their long-term side effects. Consumers are forced to bear the burden of their greed by sustaining injuries from their inadequately tested drugs, such as:
- Heart attack
- Stroke due to hemorrhages
- Diabetes
- Increased blood pressure
- Internal organ damage
- Depression, which may lead to an increased chance of suicide
With nearly half the American population taking a minimum of one prescription drug daily and one in six taking three or more every day, these injuries and the negligence that causes them is inexcusable.
Liability in Pharmaceutical Injury Lawsuits
Typically, one of the following parties is held accountable for negligence in pharmaceutical injury cases:
- The drug manufacturer
When inadequate research and testing was done on the drug, or if the company fails or attempts to hide the drug’s dangerous side effects. In this case, the grounds are prepared for a defective products lawsuit
- The pharmacist
If a prescription is filled with the wrong medication or dosage, which is grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit
- The physician
If the physician prescribed a drug to a patient that others in their profession would not have, their negligence may be grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit
Learn more by reading our Questions About Pharmaceutical Injury.
Pharmaceutical injury cases must be filed within a certain time frame, which varies state by state. If you or a loved one has suffered a pharmaceutical injury, you need the assistance of a law firm capable of fighting back against the giant, pharmaceutical industry.
Learn more about Pharmaceutical Injuries on our Questions about Pharmaceutical Injuries page.
At The Cochran Firm, our products liability attorneys in several states nationwide have the resources to handle pharmaceutical injuries across the United States.
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