Drug manufacturing companies have a responsibility to American consumers. When a drug causes harm, the manufacturing company should be held responsible. At The Law Office of Melinda J. Helbock, we represent individuals and families in injury and wrongful death cases that involve dangerous and defective drugs.
Pharmaceutical litigation can be complicated and liability can be difficult to prove. Only a qualified lawyer with extensive experience in defective drug cases will be able to recover the maximum amount of compensation for your injuries.
Defective Drug Cases
New drugs are constantly hitting the U.S. market. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in charge of making sure medications are safe for use, sometimes serious side effects are discovered after the drug has already been approved and prescribed to hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people.
When data connects a drug to serious side effects, the FDA will usually notify patients and healthcare providers through a letter and may add a warning to the drug's label. In the most severe cases where a drug's risks outweigh the benefits, the FDA will issue a recall to remove the medication from the market.
Drug recalls often come too late. Hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people may already have been put at risk. Often times, patients are unaware that their injury or illness was caused by a medication. As a firm dedicated to helping injured persons, it is our job to help people that have been injured by harmful drugs obtain justice.
Injuries Caused by Dangerous Drugs
Dangerous or defective drugs have the potential to cause serious, life-threatening injuries, including (but not limited to):
- Heart attack
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Kidney damage
- Acute liver failure
- Brain infection
- Blood clots and pulmonary embolism
- Severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women
Serious side effects can also include psychological problems, including changes in behavior, anxiety, severe depression and suicidal thoughts.
A defective drug lawsuit can be brought against a drug manufacturing company when a prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medication causes harm to a patient. Negligence occurs if the manufacturer fails to include proper warnings about the potential dangers of the drug, such as:
- Risk of serious side effects
- Dangerous interactions with other drugs
- Dangerous side effects caused by prolonged use of the medication
- Risk of withdrawal symptoms when a patient stops using the medication
Legal Help for a Drug-Related Injury or Illness
If you've been harmed by a medication, contact a defective drug lawyer at the Law Office of Melinda J. Helbock for help.