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Big Pharma in the News

Drug-makers are currently on Capital Hill looking for assurances that they will not be held liable for damages if their vaccines go wrong. They would rather have the Federal Government cover any damages.

Sanofi Pasteur, a French company that recently received a HHS contract to develop a new flu vaccine, claims that the reason more drug companies aren’t getting involved in vaccine production is because of the fear of lawsuits. The lobbyists for the pharmaceutical companies are looking for the same immunity that was offered to them (and then wisely removed) over the vaccine Thimerosol.

The American Trial Lawyers Association is instead pushing for the reformation of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a Federal Commission that individually examined each injury claim.

Vioxx: Another Major Health Risk brought to you by Big Pharma

In May of 1999, the Food and Drug Administration approved a prescription drug called Vioxx, created by leading pharmaceutical company Merck & Company to ease arthritis pain and discomfort related to painful disorders like pre-menstrual syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome. For five years, Vioxx was one of the leading arthritis drugs on the market, and in 2003 earned Merck more than $2.5 billion in worldwide sales.

In October, 2004, research sponsored by Merck concluded that takers of Vioxx faced much higher risks of heart attacks and strokes as a result of the medication. Following the release, Merck issued an immediate recall of Vioxx and issued advisories to the public warning of Vioxx’s dangerous side effects.

Representatives of Merck argue that the pharmaceutical company shouldn’t face litigation because it released its findings to the public as soon as they were available, followed through with a recall of the drug, and warned the public not to take Vioxx anymore. But for many of the 84 million patients who were prescribed Vioxx during the past five years, Merck’s corrective actions may prove to be too little, too late. While Merck may be acting responsibly now, one has to wonder where this concern was five years ago, before the billions in revenue flowed into Merck’s coffers? Why wasn’t the research revealing higher risks of heart attacks and strokes for takers of Vioxx conducted more than five years ago, before Vioxx was made available to eligible patients? How much (and for how long) did the chemists and pharmacists at Merck know about the potentially dangerous side effects of Vioxx? These questions and many more will be of at the center of litigation efforts already underway by hundreds of products liability attorneys across the country, attempting to do their part in holding Merck more accountable for the products they make available to the public.

This won’t be the first time a pharmaceutical company has had to be reminded that patients take prescription drugs to improve their health, not make it worse. In March of 2004, Big Pharma firm GlaxoSmithKline released data indicating a link between much higher rates of suicidal events for takers of their drug, Paxil, and other heavily marketed anti-depressants like Prozac, Zoloft and Welbutrin. With more than 10 million children in America prescribed to some form of anti-depressant, the long-term repercussions of this new “finding” are incalculable.

Dozens of other drugs found to pose hazards to patients have been cycled through the courts in major lawsuits and class actions during the past five years, including drugs like Zyprexa, Baycol and Phenylpropanolamine (PPA), to name just a few.


The New Sleep Aids: Marketing and Profits Trump Responsibility

Pharmaceutical companies have saturated the market with both pills for any conceivable ailment and huge advertising campaigns to increase their sales. The latest ad blitz involves sleep aids, the sales of which are being boosted with an unprecedented amount of advertising dollars.

The current market leader in sales is Ambien, which is as of this writing the 14th most prescribed drug in the United States. Drugs of a similar type (Lunesta, Sonata and Rozerem) are also being marketed without restraint.

The current leader in marketing costs is Sepracor, which spent $227 million dollars in marketing last year and entices new customers of Lunesta with contests and giveaways.

It would be an acceptable practice if they were engaging in such marketing over aspirin or any other non-prescription drug. But these sleep aids are medications that alter the very body chemistry of the user, and have been known to cause problems such as sleepwalking, short term memory loss, or even eating in your sleep.

Recently, Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy was involved in a car accident in Washington, D.C. Police found that there was no alcohol in his system, but there were levels of Ambien. And there are reports that Rep. Kennedy is not alone. With over 27 million prescriptions sold, Ambien is finding its way onto the top ten lists of drugs found in the system of impaired drivers in several states. While you can’t say that all the drivers in these situations are completely blameless, it should be considered that perhaps the pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to be more conscientious about how they market their products. A prescription drug should not be simply dispensed to anyone that wants one, and this blanket style marketing is making it seem that this is the case.

The FDA: Who’s side are they on?

So where is the federal government in all of this? The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is supposed to approve and deny new drugs that pose potential threats and hazards to the public, but the regulations and fines at their disposal to enforce pharmaceutical companies are inadequate, especially in the shadow of the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical juggernaut. Along with weak enforcement policies, there have been reports that suggest the FDA often “sits on” evidence that reveals health hazards caused by certain drugs, muzzles staffers and publicly downplays the health risks of drugs, despite possessing evidence of their threats. In fact, reports of conduct that would suggest collusion between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies have surfaced in both the Vioxx and Paxil cases.

Alone against the power of Big Pharma and the federal government, American patients and consumers don’t stand much of a chance. That’s why we’re here. The personal injury law firm of Breit, Drescher & Imprevento has always stood shoulder to shoulder with the interests of public safety. Led by firm partner and product liability specialist Mike Imprevento, BD&I has helped numerous clients in cases where large corporations released unsafe and harmful products to the public, increasing public safety and the rights of the American consumer. Pharmaceutical companies that release dangerous drugs to the public are no less dangerous than auto makers that create defective gas tanks, or manufacturers of faulty medical devices. The interests of business must always remain a distant second to public safety, and the product liability attorneys of BD&I are always vigilant in maintaining that distinction.

In addition to accepting cases involving serious adverse reactions to Vioxx, BD&I also represents patients and consumers in cases of emotional and physical side effects linked to Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Zyprexa, Baycol, PPA, Welbutrin, Crestor, Bextra, Meridia, Depro-Provera, Accutane and Severant.

If you or a loved one is suffering from adverse physical or emotional side-effects from prescription drugs, contact BD&I today for a review of your case. Our experience in evaluating prescription drug cases guarantees you a complete answer about your potential case, and the steps you can take to strike back against those who have, for the sake of their profits, knowingly threatened your health and well being.

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Library for Dangerous Prescription Drugs:

• The FDA Stands Up to Big Pharma   
  Description: The FDA has ordered new transparency in the testing methods of major pharmaceutical companies.
• The FDA: Our Prescription is Reform   
  Description: The Food and Drug Administration has a bad habit of sitting on reports that claim that certain drugs are dangerous.
• OxyContin: Purdue Pharma's Billion Dollar Lie   
  Description: OxyContin was marketed as a safe, non-addictive prescription pain reliever. Fifteen years and thousands of ruined lives later, it turns out the marketing was wrong.
• The HPV Vaccine: Should it be Mandatory?   
  Description: While it's good that an HPV vaccine exists, should it be part of the mandatory package of shots that children are required to receive before entering school?
• Tequin Alert: Antibiotic Creates Dangerous Swings in Blood Sugar Levels   
  Description: Bristol Myers-Squibb has had a dangerous antibiotic called Tequin on the market for six years. Despite causing dangerous alterations of the blood sugar in patients that use it, Bristol Myers-Squibb has refused to recall this dangerous drug. If you or a loved one has had a routine treatment severely complicated by the use of Tequin, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact the Law Firm of Breit Drescher for a free legal consultation today.
• The FDA’s Independent Advisory Panels: Ignoring Clear Dangers   
  Description: The Law Firm of Breit Drescher and Imprevento have proudly represented the rights of injured Virginians for years. Part of that fight is being proactive in helping to fix flaws in a system that directly causes injury. We believe that the current make-up of the Food and Drug Administration is unethical, dangerous to the public, and directly contrary to both the letter and spirit of their stated goals. We urge you to contact your elected officials about this abhorrent state of affairs as soon as possible. And if you or a loved one has suffered a debilitating injury due to the use of a dangerous pharmaceutical drug, contact our offices for a free legal consultation today.
• NSAIDS: The Basics and The Dangers   
  Description: Big pharmaceutical companies placed market share and profits over patient safety when they released Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex. The Law Offices of Breit Drescher is making it a priority to fight for the rights of people harmed by these dangerous drugs. If you have lost a loved one due to the negligent actions of Merck or Pfizer, don’t hesitate to contact Breit Drescher today.
• Consumer Notes on Vioxx   
  Description: Whether or not you or a loved one used Vioxx, as an American consumer you should understand the transgressions of the pharmaceutical industry against every standard of fairness and disclosure that exists to protect our health and our rights. Read this page to learn more about Vioxx.
• The Vioxx Trials   
  Description: Read quotes from the Texas jurors who handed down a $253 million award against pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. on Aug. 25th, 2005.
• The Evidence Against Merck & Co.   
  Description: Read about the "enemies lists" and a few other of the many tactics used by Merck to squelch expert opinion on the dangers of Vioxx and aggressively market the arthritis medication, despite knowledge of the risks.
• Canada Halts Sales of Thioridazine   
  Description: On September 8, 2005, Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced that the sale of all forms of the old antipsychotic drug thioridazine (MELLARIL) will be halted by September 30, 2005 because of safety concerns.
• The New Freedom Initiative   
  Description: Aspects of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative and other state and federal initiatives show that governmental support for Big Pharma's marketing practices is now transparent, regardless of the long-term effects it may have on American consumers.

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Frequent Questions for Dangerous Prescription Drugs:

• If Vioxx was so dangerous, why did the FDA allow it to be marketed in the first place?

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Web Resources for Dangerous Prescription Drugs:

• Build a Drug Interactions Table

  Description: If you are taking numerous forms of medications, it's important to know if any of the drugs can have long-term or short-term adverse reactions, or if certain foods will cause adverse reactions. This site helps you build a table to help you identify conflicts quickly.

• Merck Press Release on Vioxx Recall

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