Oklahoma City Drug Recall Lawyer
Drug companies provide many necessary and helpful products, but they are in business to make money. They have an incentive to put profits ahead of the public’s welfare. The fact is, the sooner a company gets a new drug approved, the sooner additional profits start rolling in. For this reason, prescription drugs are often hurried to market before they have been adequately tested. Drugs are sometimes approved by the very same laboratories that the drug manufacturers fund themselves. In addition, the long-term effects of many drugs are often difficult to determine or poorly understood. And unfortunately, some drugs that receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration turn out to be unsafe.
You may be surprised to learn that as many as 200,000 Americans die from adverse reactions and side effects of prescription drugs. And an even greater number of people die or are seriously injured by side effects and adverse reactions to over-the-counter drugs and medications. To make matters worse, it often seems that people have to be injured or die before a harmful medication is recalled.
Drug companies can and often are held liable for damages to consumers resulting from the drugs they have put on the market. Many times, the case against a drug company will fall under the general category of injury law, and depending on the circumstances, often falls into certain subcategories, including pharmaceutical injury law, medical malpractice/negligence, or product failure.
If you believe you have been harmed by a prescription drug, or you believe a loved one may have died because of side effects or adverse reactions to a prescription drug, contact us immediately for legal representation. We have extensive experience with injury law and can aggressively pursue your case. We may be able to achieve a quick settlement or, if just compensation is not offered by the defendant, aggressively pursue your case in court.
Pharmaceuticals recently publicized as potentially dangerous.
Avandia
Avandia, also known as Rosiglitazone, is an anti-diabetic drug most commonly used to treat Type II diabetes. Avandia improves a diabetic’s ability to control his or her blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity. Every year, this drug is used by millions of Americans and earns billions in sales. Unfortunately, Avandia may increase the risk of suffering a heart attack. In 2007, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that Avandia led to a greater risk of heart attacks and death from heart-related diseases than other types of drugs for diabetes.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert for Avandia in May of 2007. The alert indicated that Avandia may lead to increased risk of heart attack. Then, in August of 2007, the FDA issued another safety alert. This one indicated that Avandia may also lead to heart failure. Finally, the FDA issued a black box warning in November of 2007. A black box warning is the strongest warning the FDA can give a drug. This warning indicated that Avandia may lead to increased risk of heart attack in users.
Avandia made headlines recently when confidential government reports were uncovered wherein FDA doctors concluded that Rosiglitazone (Avandia) should be taken off the market. Debate about whether the FDA should remove the drug from the market continues, particularly with disagreements concerning a new clinical trial on the risks associated with using Avandia. In addition, a Senate investigation concluded that GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Avandia, should have warned users about the drug’s risks years ago. It is important to note that among all prescribed drugs, Avandia ranks first in the number of serious or fatal problems resulting from its use. In the third quarter of 2009 alone, more than 300 deaths were reported.
Potential side effects of using Avandia.
Heart Attack. In a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007, it was shown that Avandia increased a user’s risk for heart attack by 43 percent compared to other drugs for diabetes. Also known as myocardial infarctions, heart attacks occur when the flow of blood to the heart is interrupted, which causes some heart cells to die. Heart attack symptoms include sudden chest pain, a shortness of breath, vomiting, nausea, perspiration, heart palpitations, and/or an abnormal heartbeat.
Congestive Heart Failure. This occurs when problems involving the structure of the heart limit its ability to adequately supply blood to the rest of the body. That is, the heart is not able to pump enough blood to satisfy the body’s requirements. Heart attacks, heart disease and hypertension are common causes of congestive heart failure.
If you or someone you love has suffered congestive heart failure or a heart attack while using Avandia, you should contact us as soon as possible. This is because most drug cases must be filed within a certain time frame. We can explain your legal rights and options during an initial, free consultation. And we are fully committed to helping you obtain all the compensation you deserve for your injuries or your loved one’s death. Contact us today.
Actos
Actos, also called pioglitazone, is often prescribed to help control blood sugar levels in patients with Type II diabetes. In addition, Actos is used as a preventative diabetic medication for people showing early signs of diabetes. As one of the drug manufacturer Takeda’s biggest selling drugs, Actos earns the company billions of dollars each year.
Actos and Bladder Cancer
In June of 2011, the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning that linked Actos to increased risk of bladder cancer, particularly in situations where Actos is taken for more than one year. This warning stemmed from a 10-year study whose preliminary results showed that the longer a patient took Actos, or the larger the dose taken, the greater the risk of bladder cancer. In people taking Actor for more than one year, the risk of bladder cancer increased 40 percent. Women taking Actos are five times as likely to suffer bladder cancer as women who do not take the drug. This, despite the fact that men have the greatest risk of developing bladder cancer.
Regulators in Europe have already suspended sales and use of Actos. Use of the drug in France and Germany was banned by authorities following another study that confirmed taking Actos raises the risk of bladder cancer. This study involved more than 150,000 subjects with diabetes. Patients who use Actos, or the diabetes drug Competact, must now use different medications.
Similar steps have not been taken in the United States. Actos is still being sold. However, regulators have mandated that additional information must be included on the drug’s label alerting users about the greater risk of bladder cancer. Medical experts and lawmakers alike have urged the Food and Drug Administration to remove Actos from the market, fearing that a simple black box warning will not provide adequate protection. In addition, medical experts and lawmakers claim the FDA did not adequately alert Actos users to certain cardiovascular risks associated with taking the drug.
Actos-related bladder cancer symptoms and side effects
Some of the symptoms of bladder cancer related to Actos are blood in the urine, an infection in the urinary tract, an inability to urinate, pain while urinating, and frequent urination. Side effects associated with the use of Actos may include congestive heart failure, heart disease, liver problems, kidney cancer, and bone fracture.
If you or someone you love has taken Actos and been diagnosed with bladder cancer, or has encountered the dangerous side effects mentioned above, you should contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation to discuss your situation. We can explain your options and help you obtain compensation for such things as lost income, lost enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and more. You owe it to yourself and your family to seek compensation. Contact us today.