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Philadelphia Pharmaceutical Drug Litigation Attorneys

Philadelphia Prescription Drug Lawyers Around 82% of all Americans take at least one medication, and millions of Americans use over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies everyday to manage diseases, treat infections, relieve pain, and promote overall health. All new drugs, generic drugs, and over-the-counter drugs must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be marketed and sold to the public. Although standards and requirements for drug approval are rigorous, many drugs and medications have caused serious, life-threatening side effects, disability, and even caused death. When the FDA approves a drug, it is certifying that the drug’s benefits outweigh any known risks. However, clinical trials are only done to small groups of people, so sometimes dangers and adverse side effects are not discovered until the drug has been given to thousands of people. Errors in manufacturing, problems with drug testing, mislabeling, failure to warn of hazards and side effects, and defective drugs can cause catastrophic, life-altering injuries and even end in death.

Pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturers have a duty to ensure their products are not unreasonably dangerous, and work the way they indicate. They must inspect and test their products for safety, and warn consumers about possible side effects, hazards, contraindications, and drug interactions. Even with the stringent standards medications must meet, every year 700,000 adverse drug events occur sending people to emergency rooms across the country, resulting in 120,000 hospitalizations. Dangerous and defective drugs can cause heart problems, heart attacks, strokes, brain damage, diabetes, liver and kidney failure, internal bleeding, blood disorders, and death.

Drugs can be dangerous due to errors in manufacturing and labeling processes. Johnson & Johnson has recently recalled products manufactured in its McNeil plant, including Tylenol, Motrin, Sudafed, Benadryl, and Sinutab after it was discovered that the equipment had not be cleaned properly. The FDA has also issued numerous warnings regarding medications that are packaged in bottles with incorrect dosage amounts, drugs that contain ingredients that are not labeled, and drugs that fail to warn consumers of side effects and dangers. Other drug recalls include medications that contain foreign or particulate matter, drugs that emanate foul odors, and drugs that have been contaminated by an outside source.

Drugs and medications can also be dangerous in their design and formulation. Unfortunately, many drugs that end up being recalled or taken off the market due to their harmful side effects have already caused devastating effects to innocent consumers. You may remember the media flurry surrounding the widely prescribed arthritis drug, Vioxx. Vioxx was removed from the market in 2004, after studies showed an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems, and was linked to over 27,000 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths. The FDA had apparently been aware of the link between Vioxx and heart problems years earlier, but the dangerous drug remained on the market, taking thousands of innocent lives.

There are hundreds of drugs on the market today that have shown possibly dangerous side effects and serious injury. These include:

Chantix – smoking cessation drug, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular problems and suicide
Zocor (simvastatin) – statin drug intended to lower cholesterol; the FDA has called for dose limitations after numerous reports of muscle injury and kidney failure
Antidepressants (SSRIs) – like Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, have been reported to cause birth defects
Topamax – anti-seizure medication linked to cleft lip and cleft palate birth deformities
Crestor – statin drug, linked to heart problems, muscle injury, and kidney damage
Yaz, Yazmin – oral contraceptive linked to increased risk of heart attack, and blood clot
Reglan – drug used to treat gastrointestinal problems reportedly caused Tardive Dyskinesia, a movement disorder
Depakote – anti-seizure medication linked to birth defects like spina bifida
Accutane – acne medication linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis

If you have sustained any of the complaints mentioned, you should see your physician immediately. It is important to note that pharmaceutical negligence is very complicated, each case is different, and different individuals may experience very different side effects from one another. Prosecution of these cases involves a thorough examination of the patient’s injuries in corroboration with clinical studies.

If you or someone you love has been catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed because of a dangerous or defective drug, the experienced Pennsylvania dangerous drug attorneys of Reiff & Bily may be able to help you through this difficult time. Our Philadelphia product liability attorneys, along with a team of on-staff nurses and doctors, firmly believe that pharmaceutical manufacturers must be held responsible if their negligence and errors cause unjustifiable hardship and pain. For over three decades we have advocated for patient and consumer protection, and we have never been afraid to challenge the world’s top pharmaceutical companies when their actions have led to devastating consequences. It is inexcusable for drug companies to sacrifice consumer health and safety for profit, and we will fight aggressively to get you the compensation you deserve. The dangerous drug lawyers of Reiff & Bily have been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation on behalf of catastrophically injured and wrongfully killed victims and their families, and have continually set the bar in pharmaceutical liability.

Pharmaceutical Litigation Case Results

Confidential Settlement: Client suffered brain injury after prominent hospital wrongly administered narcotic medication.
Confidential Settlement: For dental malpractice involving improper medication/procedures resulting in death.
$110,000 Medical Malpractice Case: Depression medication caused priapism and client had to undergo surgical intervention.
$90,000 Result: Prescription error.
$80,000 Recovery: Against doctor after anesthetized patient fell off an examination table during a procedure while lying on her side.

View more Case Results here.

Philadelphia Pharmaceutical Drug Litigation Attorneys

Pharmaceutical Litigation Case Results

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