Pharmaceutical Medications Should Help, Not Harm.

Doctors prescribe millions of prescription medications every year. Unfortunately, rather than helping, many of these medications end up harming patients physically, emotionally, or psychologically. Why? In a drive to maximize profits, certain pharmaceutical companies:

1. Rush the medication to market. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year creating and marketing new drugs. It’s a multi-billion industry. However, these companies don’t make money until a drug is on the market. Unsurprisingly, some rush their products to market by limiting clinical trials or overstating their efficacy—putting financial gain far ahead of consumer safety.
    
2. Advocate “off-label” usage. Pharmaceutical companies and their representatives are notorious for advocating that certain drugs be prescribed for “off-label” purposes that are not approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
    
3. Fail to warn of known risks.  Pharmaceutical companies are legally required to inform the FDA, consumers, and medical providers when potential or real adverse effects are associated with a drug. This allows patients and their doctors to determine whether to continue using the drug and permits the FDA to recall the drug or warn the public via the medicine’s packaging. However, these warnings aren’t always provided, as any negative association to a drug has a potential to negatively affect profits.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of patients are needlessly injured by the side effects of defective, dangerous drugs. These injuries could have been avoided, had the pharmaceutical manufacturers not acted negligently.  

Defective, Dangerous Drug Litigation

Citizens Law Firm specializes in helping those who have been harmed by taking defective dangerous drugs. We are currently litigating lawsuits related to:   

• Xarelto. Made by Janssen Pharmaceutical and Bayer Healthcare, this blood thinner has been associated with severe bleeding injuries such as: 
  • Gastrointestinal bleeds (GI bleeds)
  • Intracranial hemorrhage
  • Hemorrhagic bleeding
  • Stroke
     
• Risperdal. Made by Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, this antipsychotic prescription drug has been linked to serious side effects such as:
  • Gynecomastia (enlarged breast tissue in males)
  • Tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movements)
  • Lowered bone density
  • Diabetes
  • Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (a life-threatening, neurological disorder most often caused by an adverse reaction to neuroleptic or antipsychotic drugs)
  • Cardiovascular issues
  • Strokes
• Taxotere. Made by Sanofi, this chemotherapy drug has injured a large number of breast cancer patients who have been left with disfiguring, permanent hair loss (known as alopecia). In 2015, the FDA issued a safety warning regarding Taxotere and its link to alopecia.
   
• Proton Pump Inhibitors. Made by numerous manufacturers, Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) diabetes drugs have been linked to kidney damage, renal failure, and many other serious side effects. 

• Zofran. Made by GlaxoSmithKline, this anti-nausea drug is used during pregnancy. However, studies have found a 30% increased risk of birth defects, a doubled risk of “hole in the heart” defects, and even higher rates of cleft lip and cleft palate.

•  Onglyza / Invokana. Manufactured by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson / Janssen Pharmaceuticals respectively, these Type 2 Diabetes medications have FDA warnings that link them to:
  • Ketoacidosis (a serious diabetes complication where the body produces excess blood acids)
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Kidney problems
  • Heart problems

Liability for this type of harm can also involve doctors who prescribed the medication, hospitals where it was prescribed, pharmacies where it was filled, and pharmacists who filled the prescription.

Let Our Experience to Work for You!

Don’t let pharmaceutical companies get away with negligent behavior. We have decades of experience representing clients who have experienced a serious personal injury or whose loved ones suffered a wrongful death from the side effects of dangerous defective drugs. At the Citizens Law Firm, we are here to help you understand your legal rights. We will fight for your rights and help you try to obtain the compensation you and your family deserve. 

Call us today at (844) LAW ‐ CALL or complete our simple Free Case Evaluation form and we’ll call you. Keep in mind that every lawsuit is subject to a statute of limitations. In certain situations, it can be a year or less. Contact us right away for a free consultation so that you don’t lose your right to the compensation you deserve.