Defective Drug Attorneys​
Defective drugs injure millions of people annually and can even cause death in the worst cases. According to the CDC, each year about 1.3 million emergency room visits are related to adverse drug reactions. If a drug manufacturer has failed to adequately test for risks in its clinical trials or fails to warn patients about the dangers of taking a drug, that can result in irreparable damage to patients’ health and lives. Families suffer from lost wages, poor quality of life, and high medical bills.
Get Financial Relief For Harm Caused By Defective Drugs
DRUG COMPANIES NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IF THEY CAUSED YOU INJURY OR HARM.
Hospitals, insurance companies, and drug companies want to push you aside. They’ll say it’s not their problem – that you did something wrong and brought this on yourself. But you know what? They’re not being honest.
Does this situation sound familiar to you? Your doctor prescribed a medication, which you used according to instructions. Now you’re suffering side effects – serious side effects. And the injuries weren’t your fault.
Hospitals, insurance companies, and drug companies want to push you aside. They’ll say it’s not their problem – that you did something wrong and brought this on yourself. But you know what? They’re not being honest.
You can and should pursue justice through a defective drug lawsuit. At Farah & Farah, we help you recover the maximum possible recovery or verdict from the people who caused your injury – so you can focus on recovering from what the defective drug did to you without financial hardship.
Who Is the CDER?
The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research(CDER) is the branch of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that is responsible for the assessment of new drugs of all kinds, from over-the-counter and generic medicines to prescriptions. The CDER has a six- to ten-month approval process that pharmaceutical companies must successfully pass for each new drug they want to sell.
Who Conducts the Research for New Drugs?
The testing and clinical trials, which can take up to ten years, are performed by the pharmaceutical company prior to the application process. As a result, the CDER’s evaluation relies heavily on the results provided by the company. The CDER reviews the results of the clinical trials, the usage directions, the patient information, safety information, the information on the label, and the potential for abuse of the drug before making a decision.
Accelerating the Evaluation Process
The CDER offers four different options for companies to speed up the evaluation process:
- Fast Track: A process used to prioritize drugs that either treat a serious illness or fulfill an otherwise unmet need.
- Breakthrough Therapy: A designation for treatments for serious illnesses that are much more effective than anything currently on the market.
- Accelerated Approval: A process to fast-track drugs that haven’t yet proven a clinical benefit, but do demonstrate evidence of a clinical benefit and fulfill a currently unmet medical need.
- Priority Review: A designation for drugs the CDER wants to approve within six months instead of ten.
All four of these processes provide companies with ways to decrease the amount of time required for CDER approval, so they can get their drugs on the market and sell to customers more quickly.
Efficacy of CDER Approval Systems
The CDER’s approval systems are supposed to be impartial and prevent bad drugs from making their way onto the market, but pharmaceutical companies fund a lot of the CDER’s research and also provide payments to the doctors who monitor medications. Up to 75% of the CDER’s funding comes from pharmaceutical companies, according to an FDA advisor.
This could allow pharmaceutical companies to put pressure on the CDER and on doctors to approve drugs that may not be tested thoroughly enough or that might have more harmful side effects than benefits. That pressure can lead to the CDER waiving the requirement for clinical trials or approving drugs that have not been approved elsewhere in the world. In 1995, the CDER bowed to pressure from pharmaceutical companies and approved Oxycontin, which led to the beginning of the opioid epidemic.
Politics at Play
Drugs that have failed or haven’t undergone clinical trials can be rushed through the approval process. If a drug doesn’t get approved, companies reapply the following year and use their influence to ensure that members of the advisory board who warned against the drug the first time are kept out of the approval process the second time. This means that drugs can get approved, sold, and prescribed to patients before their in spite of major side effects.
Farah & Farah’s team of talented attorneys have experience fighting pharmaceutical companies on behalf of the patients defective medications may have irreparably harmed.
Why Should You Hire A Defective Drug Lawyer?
If you or someone you love has suffered due to a defective drug injury, the attorneys at Farah & Farah will provide the partnership, support, and legal guidance necessary to get the compensation you deserve. Whether your injury was caused by mistakes in the design of the drug, errors in manufacturing, mislabeling, or a failure to warn of the possible dangers of taking the drug, we help you navigate a complex and stressful situation so life can feel normal again.
With extensive resources and decades of experience in defective drug liability cases, we have the tools you need to stand up to big pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers, and hospitals. Our dedicated attorneys will help you build a compelling case and fight for justice during every step of your defective drug lawsuit, so you can achieve the best possible outcome. When you partner with Farah & Farah, you gain a higher likelihood of success in the courtroom and can earn more compensation for the injustice you experienced.
What To Expect From Our Attorneys During Your Defective Drug Lawsuit
The defective drug attorneys at Farah & Farah can answer your questions, investigate your case, and help you obtain the relief you’re looking for. When you are suffering due to no fault of your own, you deserve to be heard.
When you or someone you love has been injured by a dangerous drug in Florida or Georgia, we do everything we possibly can to help you. This includes:
- Investigating the defective drug, your adverse reaction, and the circumstances surrounding your injury
- Negotiating with hospitals about your medical bills, so you take home a larger payout when we secure your victory
- Completing all necessary paperwork from insurance companies and hospitals, so you aren’t stuck dealing with them
- Paying medical expenses and recovering lost wages through your recovery or verdict
- Fighting for the highest possible recovery, so you have the financial support necessary to get your life feeling like normal again
Types of Defective Drugs
A defective drug is a medication prescribed to treat a medical condition that causes physical, emotional, or psychological harm to the patients taking them. The defect can be caused by mistakes in the design of the drug, errors in manufacturing, mislabeling, or failure to warn of the possible dangers of taking the drug. The legal definition of a defective drug requires the drug to have caused harm or injury to patients.
The lawyers at Farah & Farah have deep experience in a wide variety of defective drug cases, including:
Accutane
Accutane (isotretinoin) is prescribed after a patient has tried all other acne treatments, including antibiotics, without success. Accutane causes serious birth defects, premature delivery, or miscarriage if taken during pregnancy. It is extremely important for women not to become pregnant while taking Accutane or for one month after they stop treatment. Accutane has also been known to cause depression and other serious mental problems including irritability, anger, loss of interest in social activities, and trouble concentrating.
AndroGel Testosterone
AndroGel is a testosterone replacement therapy medication designed for men who suffered from low levels of testosterone due to a medical condition. However, thousands of men using the topical drug have experienced severe side effects, including heart attacks. AndroGel is also dangerous for women and children who come into contact with it.
Benicar
Benicar is a medication use to lower blood pressure. However, some patients experienced serious gastrointestinal problems after taking it. Often, these stomach and intestinal problems could crop up years after starting Benicar.
Depakote
Depakote is a powerful prescription drug that is used to treat acute manic episodes related to bipolar disorder. Mild side effects are expected with these types of drugs, but Depakote can cause serious side effects such as birth defects, liver damage and even death.
Gadolinium
Gadolinium is a metal used in contrast agents for MRIs and other types of medical imaging. Contrast agents are injected into patients before the scan and are used to enhance the quality of the image, allowing doctors to better diagnose the patients’ conditions. However, gadolinium can build up in the brain and other organs and is associated with Gadolinium Deposit Disease.
Lipitor / Statins
Lipitor and other statins have been known to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and chest pain when combined with a low-fat diet. But many patients who use Lipitor face the risk of serious side effects, such as the development of Type 2 diabetes.
Opioids
Opioids are drugs that are either synthetic or made naturally from the opium poppy and that are used to treat chronic pain. These medications are effective at treating pain and are also commonly used as anesthetics, but are also highly addictive. Manufacturers of opioid medications downplayed their addictiveness and assured doctors and patients that there wouldn’t be a risk of addiction. However, there is currently an ongoing opioids crisis in the United States, with many people abusing opioid medication who started taking it when it was prescribed to them to treat chronic pain.
Pradaxa
Pradaxa is the brand name of a medication called dabigatran. This prescription drug helps with thinning of the blood and is often prescribed to prevent blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation caused by a heart valve malfunction. Blood thinners, however, carry their own risks, including a risk of uncontrolled bleeding.
SGLT2 Inhibitors
SGLT2 Inhibitors are medications meant to treat type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar. It has been found to result in foot and leg amputations, diabetic ketoacidosis, gangrene, kidney failures and flesh-eating bacterial infections. The FDA has issued black box warning labels that include each of these risks.
Invokana
Invokana is a brand of SGLT2 inhibitor. It carries the FDA black box warning about its risks of amputations and other severe side effects. Despite its risks, the manufacturer hasn’t voluntarily recalled the drug and is instead developing new medications to be taken in conjunction with Invokana.
Taxotere
Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug that its manufacturer claimed was more effective than other drugs on the market. However, the FDA has issued multiple warnings to the company for misleading advertising because there was no evidence to support those claims. In addition, many patients have suffered permanent hair loss as a result of having taken the medication.
Valsartan
Valsartan is a medication used to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. It was recalled for being a known carcinogen and any patient who has taken valsartan-based medications are at risk for kidney failure and cancer.
What If I’ve Been Injured by a Defective Drug?
Defective drugs pose a serious risk to millions of Americans every year. If you have suffered due to a defective drug injury, don’t hesitate to seek the compensation and justice you deserve. Let one of Farah & Farah’s experienced defective drug attorneys represent you and take on the company that chose profit over your health. Contact us now to schedule a free consultation. You pay nothing unless your case is successful.
We’re here to help. Reach out to Farah & Farah today
You can and should pursue justice through a defective drug lawsuit. At Farah & Farah, we help you recover the maximum possible recovery or verdict from the people who caused your injury – so you can focus on recovering from what the defective drug did to you without financial hardship.
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