Many popular medications have caused unexpected drug injuries to patients

Taking a specific medication required you to put a lot of trust in others. You trusted your doctor to prescribe the right medication for your condition, you trusted the drug manufacturing company to make a safe product, and you trusted the company that marketed the medication to warn you of the serious side effects.

When that trust is broken, the result can be catastrophic. Even if your doctor prescribed the right medication for you based on the available information, you could be seriously injured by the failure of the pharmaceutical company to:

  • Adequately test the medication for side effects.
  • Warn you of known side effects.

Pharmaceutical companies do not always put patient safety ahead of profits. Their failure to use reasonable care to keep you safe can cost you significant financial loss, physical pain, and emotional stress. If you’ve been hurt or your loved one has lost her life because of a pharmaceutical company’s actions (or inactions), then you should speak to an attorney to find out how you may protect yourself now.

Don’t delay taking action. The statute of limitations could expire or important evidence could be destroyed if you don’t take action quickly.

Specific Drug Injuries

Some of the drugs that have caused unexpected injuries include:

  • Actos. In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Actos to treat type 2 diabetes. After that, the drug was linked to bladder cancer. Thousands of lawsuits were filed and in 2015 the drug maker agreed to a multi-billion dollar settlement.
  • Benicar. This medication is used to treat high blood pressure. However, it has been linked to serious side effects, including a potentially catastrophic gastrointestinal condition known as sprue-like enteropathy.
  • Byetta. Byetta is a medication used to treat diabetes. After gaining FDA approval in 2005, this medication was linked to thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer, and acute pancreatitis.
  • Chantix. Chantix is a medication used to help people stop smoking. It has been linked to serious psychiatric side effects. The drug manufacturer reportedly spent about $275 million to settle claims from people who were allegedly injured by this drug.
  • Denture cream. Zinc is found in some, but not all, denture creams. Too much zinc could lead to zinc poisoning, which is a serious medical condition.
  • Essure. This type of birth control is implanted in a woman’s fallopian tubes. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed alleging serious side effects as a result on Essure implants. As of January 2017, the lawsuits are still pending.
  • Fosamax. Fosamax is an osteoporosis medication. While it is intended to prevent bone loss, it has been linked to serious conditions including femur fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw.
  • Gadolinium dye. Gadolinium contrast dye is used during MRIs to help give a clear picture of the inside of your body. However, this dye—made by various manufacturers—has resulted in a serious medical condition known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and pharmaceutical injury lawsuits have been filed.
  • GranuFlo and Naturalyte. These medications are used during kidney dialysis and have been linked to heart attacks. In 2016, a multi-million dollar settlement was reached with people who had been injured or their surviving lived ones.
  • Invokana. This type 2 diabetes medication has been linked to dangerous side effects such as heart problems, kidney damage, and ketoacidosis. In December 2016, lawsuits were centralized in multi-district litigation.
  • Levaquin and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics. In July 2016, the FDA changed the warning labels for fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as Levaquin. Now, the FDA warns that this type of antibiotic should not be used for “less serious bacterial infections” because of the potentially serious side effects. Pharmaceutical injury lawsuits have been filed against the drug’s manufacturers.
  • Lipitor. Lipitor is a popular medication to treat high cholesterol. It is important to know, however, that this medication has been linked to serious side effects such as type 2 diabetes, rhabdomyolysis, memory loss, and cataracts.
  • Low testosterone drugs. Testosterone replacement therapies have been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against drug makers, including the maker of AndroGel. The first Androgel lawsuits are expected to be heard by the court in 2017.
  • Oral sodium phosphate. Oral sodium phosphate is used to cleanse the bowels prior to a colonoscopy and has been linked to kidney damage and acute phosphate neuropathy.
  • Parkinson’s medications. Dopamine receptor agonists are used to treat Parkinson’s disease. These medications have been linked to compulsive behavior, and people who have been hurt may be able to pursue a lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer.
  • Pradaxa. Pradaxa is a blood thinning medication. In 2014, concerns were raised that the drug’s manufacturer knew of the risk of uncontrolled bleeding and failed to warn patients and the public of that risk. Approximately 4,000 lawsuits were settled in the spring of 2014 for about $650 million.
  • Propecia. Propecia is FDA approved to treat male pattern baldness. Serious side effects associated with this medication include sexual dysfunction, cancer, and depression. The first lawsuits about Propecia side effects are expected to be heard in 2017.
  • Trayslol. Trayslol was approved by the FDA in 1992. The drug was designed to control bleeding during heart surgeries. However, in 2006 studies linked Trayslol to kidney and heart failure. Trayslol was taken off the market in 2007 and multi-district litigation was settled in 2010.
  • Xarelto. Xarelto is a blood thinner that is used to prevent blood clots and strokes. As of January 2017, there is not an FDA-approved antidote for Xarelto. Therefore, it is difficult or impossible to stop excess bleeding if it starts. Lawsuits have been filed, and the first cases are expected to be heard in 2017.

People who have been hurt by these drugs—as well as close family members of patients who have died after taking these drugs—have pursued legal action, and many have recovered important compensation for their injuries.

What If the Drug That Hurt Me Isn’t on Your List?

Whether or not the medication that hurt you is on the list above or not, we encourage you to contact us directly. If your prescription drug caused you harm and you were not warned of the potential side effects then you may have a claim against the company that made or marketed the medication.

A Class Action Case May Be Possible

If other people have suffered similar injuries from the same drug, and other criteria are met, then you may be able to file or join a class action lawsuit. You and others like who have been hurt can combine your resources, your time, and your energy to bring a pharmaceutical class action lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company that made or distributed the medication that caused you harm.

To learn more about your rights and about how to protect them, please contact our experienced Wisconsin pharmaceutical class action lawyers at your earliest convenience. We are available around the clock to you via live chat or phone, and we are committed to helping you get the fair and full recovery that you deserve.

Jason F. Abraham
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Helping car accident and personal injury victims throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa since 1993.