Millions of Americans rely on prescription medication to help them manage arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, high blood pressure, chronic pain, pulmonary disease, and many other medical conditions. They trust the companies that develop drugs to provide safe, effective products. Too often that trust is misplaced. Every year thousands of patients are seriously injured, and some are killed by toxic drug reactions and irreversible side effects. This article can help you learn more about dangerous drugs.
Who is most at risk from dangerous drugs?
Older people are at higher risk from dangerous drugs than the general population because a large percentage of seniors take several medications. The average senior takes four to six prescribed medications, in addition to over-the-counter drugs. People 65 and older constitute only 14% of the US population, yet they take more than 33% of all prescription medications. This increased usage exposes seniors to more different drugs, and also increases the risk of dangerous drug interactions.
Does FDA approval mean that a drug is safe?
FDA approval means that the US Food and Drug Administration's scientists have determined that the benefits of the drug will outweigh the risks when it is released into the general population. During the final stage of clinical trials before approval, as many to 3,000 people will take the drug. But some serious side effects are rare. If a side effect occurs in one of 10,000 people, for example, the manufacturer and the FDA probably will not learn of that side effect until the drug has been approved, and hundreds of thousands of people have taken it.
What is an adverse event?
The FDA defines an adverse event as "any undesirable experience associated with the use of a medical product in a patient."
How does the FDA find out about adverse events?
Doctors and health care professionals generally report adverse events to drug companies, which are then required by law to relay serious reports to the FDA within 15 days. Health care providers should report an if it results in death, disability, hospitalization, is life-threatening, causes a congenital anomaly, or requires treatment to prevent permanent damage. For the first three years after a drug is approved, the drug manufacturer must also report all of its adverse event information to the FDA quarterly, and after three years, these reports must be submitted annually.
How can I find out whether a drug is dangerous?
The FDA publishes notices about adverse events on its website, and these are frequently reported on the internet, on television news and in newspapers. Drug manufacturers sometimes issue warnings to health care providers when they learn of adverse events associated with their products.
How can I tell whether my symptoms are the result of a dangerous drug?
For questions about symptoms and side effects, as well as any other aspect of your health, you should consult your physician. Your physician can determine whether a drug has caused or contributed to your symptoms.
If I have been harmed, or a loved one has been harmed by or died from a drug, what can I do?
You should talk as soon as possible with an experienced drug attorney to determine whether you may have a case against the manufacturer of the drug.
How important is it to act promptly?
Acting as soon as possible may make the difference between having a case and not having a case. There are deadlines called statutes of limitation, set by laws which regulate the filing of lawsuits; these vary from state to state. . If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or a loved one has died from a dangerous drug, you should not delay in contacting an attorney. If the statute of limitations expires, your right to pursue a claim may be forever barred.
How difficult is it to win a claim against a drug manufacturer?
Pharmaceutical companies are often large multinational corporations with their own legal staffs, and extensive financial resources to defend their products. To prevail against such determined and well-funded adversaries, you need to have an experienced pharmaceutical attorney on your side, and a law firm that is fully committed to securing justice for its clients.
Gayle Blatt is a San Diego pharmaceutical attorney with the California plaintiffs law firm of Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield LLP, in Southern California. Ms. Blatt represents the need for consumer protection from medications whose dangerous side effects have not been thoroughly investigated. As a pharmaceutical lawyer Gayle Blatt files lawsuits on behalf of people who have been harmed from drugs pushed into use before all of the potential interactions and side effects have been adequately noted and studied.
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