What is considered a drug injury in Texas?

People trust their doctors and other health care professionals to heal them when they are sick. The unspoken expectation between patients and their medical practitioners is that they will do all they can to heal the ailing person, while administering safe, ethical and reliable care. Oftentimes, medications are prescribed to help people recover from an acute condition, or to help them manage a chronic condition like diabetes or hypertension. There have been a number of situations where the medications prescribed to help have caused harm to patients. When these

What are Drug Injuries?

Medication injuries can be devastating to the people who are injured and their families. It should be noted that medication errors can occur as a result of an error or a faulty drug. People need to be aware that, in terms of drug injuries, they occur more often than most people are aware of. In terms of the actual medications that are prescribed in the United States, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) plays an active role in ensuring that the drugs that make it on to the pharmacy shelves across the nation have been through rigorous trials to ensure they can safely treat the masses.

Approved and Recalled

There have been a number of drugs that have passed the rigorous tests and trials administered by the FDA and their manufacturers that have been widely distributed and prescribed for years only to be recalled and taken off of the market years later because that contradicts either their efficacy, or their safety. Some notable examples of drugs that were approved by the FDA and were taken off of the market years later include the following:

• Accutane was approved by the FDA from 1982 to 2009. After 27 years, the drug was recalled due to the heightened risks of premature births and miscarriages associated with it. The drug was also associated with suicidal thoughts and tendencies.
• Darvocet, a powerful opioid used to alleviate pain, was first introduced onto the market in 1955, and was recalled in 2010. After being on the market for 55 years, the drug was found to be toxic to the cardiac muscle, and there were over 2100 deaths linked to the medication.
• Propulsid was a popular treatment used to treat GERD (Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease, and it remained on the market for seven years. The drug was recalled when nearly 300 cases of abnormal heart rhythms like ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia and QT prolongation, in addition to 70 deaths, were discovered to be associated with the drug.

These are only a few examples. However, there have been a number of drugs that have been used to treat obesity, arthritis and mental health disorders that have been introduced to the market that have had less tenure on the market when they were recalled.

There Must Be Accountability

It is important for people to understand, when they have been injured by a dangerous drug, they have to be vigilant about holding those responsible accountable for the products they manufacture, and place in the public sphere. People should also understand that they have a responsibility to other people who are taking the same medication. Now, of course, everyone is made aware of the possible side effects that could occur as a result of taking any type of medication. There is always a risk that a person could have a reaction to a medication, be it allergic or otherwise. However, when a specific drug is associated with a number of reactions, injuries and or deaths, that expands way beyond the calculated expectations. People who have been injured as a result of medication have rights and they need to exercise it for themselves and for the good in terms of the overall health of other people who are taking it.

Getting the Help You Need

The thought of taking on a major company or corporation is intimidating for most people. In addition, anyone who has ever been injured by a bad drug is only thinking about getting better, and is probably not up to fighting for the tights that they have. It is important to note, that anyone that’s been injured or has had a family member who has been injured or has died as a result of taking a faulty drug, doesn’t have to go through the process of fighting for their rights alone. There are Houston drug injury lawyers who are ready and willing to help them get the compensation they deserve. These types of attorneys are skilled professionals who specialize in these types of cases. 

Drug injuries can often leave families with a hefty financial burden. In addition, there is often a lot of psychological and emotional trauma associated with medical injuries and deaths. Oftentimes, the injured and their caregivers need support to help them navigate through their trauma. People need to know that the full burden associated with these types of injuries should not rest on their shoulders.