Prescription Drugs and Dangerous Side-Effects
Drug manufacturers have a duty to produce medications that are safe for public use. When companies fail to uphold this duty and a person is injured as a result, he/she has the right to compensation.


December 12, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Prescription Drugs and Dangerous Side-Effects

Article provided by Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers
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Protecting Yourself from Harmful Medications

As a society, we rely on our doctors and medications to help us when we do not feel well. We expect the medications our doctors prescribe to make us feel better. But what happens when those medications actually make us feel worse?

Consumer Reports estimates that one out of every six Americans has suffered side effects from a prescription medication that has been severe enough to require hospital treatment.

There are many reasons why a prescription medication may end up causing more harm than good. For example, it may be caused if the doctor prescribes the wrong type of medication or the pharmacist gives the patient the wrong medicine or an incorrect dose of the right medicine. It can also be caused when there is a defect in the medication itself created during the design of the medication or the manufacturing process.

So what can patients do to protect themselves from a potentially life-threatening harmful medication?

Get the right information. Ask your doctor and/or pharmacist for written information on the medication, its intended use and side-effects. However, do not rely solely on this information. Even minimal internet research can inform you about the drug and whether there have been any harmful side-effects or deaths linked to its use. Additionally, information about pending lawsuits against the drug's manufacturer can be instrumental when deciding whether to continue taking a prescription drug. For specific information on a drug, a drug recall or other consumer safety tips, please visit the following Web sites:
-www.fda.gov (Food and Drug Administration
-www.tsbp.state.tx.us (Texas State Board of Pharmacy
-www.webmd.com (WebMD.)

Pharmaceutical Liability Cases

As a pharmaceutical consumer, there is only so much you can do to protect yourself from a harmful medication. Pharmaceutical manufacturers must take responsibility for the drugs that they produce to ensure that they are safe for their intended use. When drug companies fail to do so and you are injured as a result, you have the right to bring a pharmaceutical liability lawsuit against the drug company for a manufacturing defect.

In addition to manufacturing defects, drug manufacturers may also be liable for:
- Design defects: the drug was not designed in a way to make it safe for public use
- Advertising defects: the manufacturer failed to warn consumers of a known danger associated with the drug or failed to properly instruct consumers on the proper use of the medication

Reglan and Byetta

Two examples of current medications that may cause dangerous side-effects are Reglan and Byetta:

Reglan

Reglan is a medication used to treat certain types of gastrointestinal disorders, like heartburn and acid reflux. It is also used to control nausea in chemotherapy patients and surgical patients. Reglan has been linked to Tardive Dyskinesia, a neuropathy disorder that causes serious involuntary and repetitive movements.

Reglan and Tardive Dyskinesia

Tardive Dyskinesia is a central nervous system disorder that is predominantly characterized by lip smacking, grimacing, tongue protrusion, rapid eye movements or blinking, puckering and pursing of the lips, impaired movement of the fingers, shaking of hands or feet, abnormal head movements, uncontrolled bodily movements. The highest incidence of Tardive Dyskinesia occurs in patients who have taken the medication for a minimum of 12 weeks. The FDA required the manufacturer of Reglan to include a black box warning against continued use of the product in patients with gastrointestinal disorders in early 2009. A black box warning is the highest level of warning issued by the FDA.

For more information on injuries caused by Reglan, please see http://www.blizzardlaw.com/PracticeAreas/reglan.asp.

Byetta

Byetta (exenatide) is an injectable medication used to treat Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes. Byetta was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2005 to help reduce blood sugar levels. Byetta reduces blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin secretion from pancreatic cells. The use of Byetta has recently been linked to reports of serious and potentially life threatening injuries, including pancreatitis, impaired kidney dysfunction and kidney failure.

Byetta and Pancreatitis

In October 2007, following the receipt of at least 30 reports of acute pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta, the FDA issued an alert about an association between Byetta use and pancreatitis. In August 2008, the FDA issued a second alert about an additional six reports of necrotizing pancreatitis or hemorrhagic pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta, two of which were fatal. Necrotizing pancreatitis involves tissue damage, which leads to the release of toxins and enzymes into the blood stream and may cause multi-organ failure and death. Hemorrhagic pancreatitis is a severe form of the condition where erosion of blood vessels can lead to severe bleeding.

Byetta and Kidney Failure

Kidney (renal) failure occurs when the kidneys fail to function adequately. In November 2009, the FDA announced that the Byetta label would be revised to include new safety information about possible kidney function problems, including kidney failure in patients taking Byetta. The FDA received 78 reports of problems with kidney function, including 62 reports of kidney failure, in patients using Byetta between April 2005 and October 2008. The FDA announced new safety information relating to these post-marketing reports of altered kidney function, including acute renal failure and insufficiency, would be added to the Byetta label. The most common side effects suffered by those taking Byetta were nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which may have contributed to the development of altered kidney function.

For more information on injuries caused by Byetta, please see http://www.blizzardlaw.com/PracticeAreas/Byetta.asp.

Contact an Attorney Today

If you or a loved one has been injured by a dangerous medication, contact an experienced attorney today. The attorney can review your case and help determine who is responsible for your injury, which may include the drug's manufacturer, the physician who prescribed the medication or the pharmacist who filled the prescription. For more information, contact an experienced products liability attorney today.



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