Pharmaceutical Medication Lawsuits Regarding Recalled Drugs

Medical professionals prescribe medications to persons to treat illnesses and symptoms associated with illnesses and injuries. Every medical drug available on the market in the United States is put through a rigorous review process by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it is approved for prescription and use. Unfortunately, the FDA's review process does not guarantee that every approved drug will be safe for every user in every circumstance. The FDA can recall drugs that are linked to severe complications in users.

The manufacturers of prescription medications may fail to anticipate the various side effects or complications that medications may cause in users when fabricating the drugs and presenting them to the FDA for approval. When drug manufacturing companies create dangerous medications that injure users, victims can bring claims to recover damages.

The FDA is responsible for ensuring that drug manufacturing companies sell only safe drugs to consumers. The FDA reviews thousands of applications for prescription medications and medical devices annually. Many of the dangers that prescription medications present to users may not be evident at the time drug manufacturers present them to the FDA for potential approval. It is thus possible that medications that cause harmful complications or side effects may yet garner FDA approval.

Critics of the drug manufacturing industry complain that too many prescription medications are approved for sale in the market, without adequate research or drug trials ensuring that the drugs are safe to use. Doctors may prescribe newer medications without knowing all the potential side-effects, and patients may take the medications under the misapprehension that they are safe. The FDA may not become aware of harmful side effects until numerous patients have suffered injury or death as a result of ingesting a medication. Sadly, in many cases, once an injury occurs, it is too late to reverse the damage caused by defective medical products.

In some rare cases, drug manufacturing companies have continued to push sales of medications even after they have become aware of the serious dangers that the medications pose to users. Critics have complained that the FDA is slow to react to reports of drug complications. A drug company may continue to push defective medications to unsuspecting doctors and patients unless and until the FDA orders a recall.

Oftentimes, prior to a recall, the FDA will require a drug company to disclose adverse reactions and any notable side effects caused by a medication. If reports of injuries or deaths continue to surface, the FDA may prompt a company to issue a recall of a medication, and the agency may remove it from the market.

Over the past decade, the FDA has ordered many drugs that have caused harmful side effects in patients to be recalled. Below are some of the most commonly used recalled medications:

• Elmiron;
• Invokana;
• Onglyza;
• Tasigna;
• Taxotere;
• Truvada;
• Valsartan;
• Xarelto;
• Xeljanz;
• Zantac;
• Celexa;
• Lexapro;
• Paxil;
• Zoloft;
• Prozac.

If a person has suffered any complications after taking these medications, the person may be entitled to compensation. The sooner an injured person speaks to an experienced product liability lawyer, the better the person's likelihood of pursuing a valid claim for damages

An affected person could be eligible for compensation if one has suffered complications from a dangerous drug or a defective product. North Carolina plaintiffs are entitled to compensation for the cost of the drug and any medical treatment resulting from injuries caused by the defective drug. North Carolina courts will also award damages for pain and suffering and lost wages caused by the defective, recalled drug. Plaintiffs may be eligible for the following types of damages:

• Hospitalization;
• Cash awards;
• Surgery;
• Pain and suffering;
• Future expenses;
• Lost income;
• Travel costs for medical visits;
• Medical bills;
• Funeral and burial expenses.

If you or your loved one has suffered side-effects from a recalled or defective drug, you may be entitled to compensation through a North Carolina product liability lawsuit. The experienced product liability lawyers Arnold & Smith, PLLC will review your case and advise you on the best legal strategy.

Our legal team has extensive experience representing clients in product liability lawsuits. We recommend scheduling a free initial consultation with our law firm. It is worth understanding whether or not you have a case. If successful, you will recover compensation for damages associated with your medical expenses and all other economic damages. Do not lose out on a chance to recover the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to schedule your free initial consultation.