Due to advances in science and medicine, it is possible today to live with, or even be cured of diseases and illnesses once considered life threatening. Although the United States provides some of the best health care in the world, an estimated 200,000 Americans die annually due to adverse reactions and harmful side-effects of prescription drugs. Thousands more are injured.

Injury Attorney Joe Griffith vigorously works to help victims who sought to improve their health, but instead were injured by the prescription drugs they relied on for relief. Manufacturers of drugs and supplements can be held responsible for sale of defective products, devices, and drugs. This responsibility is broad and includes the duty to exercise reasonable care in the design and manufacture of a product. The obligation of the manufacturer to make a safe product includes the duty to design, manufacture, inspect, and label a product appropriately. Proving that a manufacturer of a drug supplement is responsible for a defective product can be complicated and expensive.

While most people assume that approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration means a drug is safe, recent examples prove this can be a dangerous assumption. Too often, problems with particular medications surface only after their use becomes widespread. By the time doctors and regulators spot the trouble, it’s often too late for patients taking these prescription drugs. In addition, each year, thousands experience complications associated with over-the-counter medications and supplements.

While the FDA must approve all prescription drugs, dollar-conscious drug and medical manufacturers put unrelenting pressure on the FDA to expedite their product’s approval. In turn, the FDA may put a drug on "fast track" status to reduce approval process time. Often, "fast track" drugs are not subject to a thorough analysis and may be sold prematurely. Without a full understanding of a drug’s potential side-effects and long-term effects and negative interactions, patients continue to suffer serious injury or death. However, it is important to remember that while a product may be FDA approved, the manufacturer and/or prescribing health care provider is liable for unsafe drugs, medications, and medical devices. The law generally provides that:

• Drug manufacturers who fail to design, manufacture, inspect and label pharmaceuticals appropriately may be held liable for the injuries their drugs cause. A pharmaceutical manufacturer may also be liable for a patient’s injuries when they have failed to warn of a drug's potential side effects or dangers.
   
• Medical doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, pharmacies, osteopaths and health care facilities (hospitals, nursing homes) can be found liable for deviating from the acceptable standard of patient care.
   
• Malpractice may exist if there is proof that a healthcare provider placed their personal interest or that of the pharmaceutical industry above patient’s interests. It is not only reprehensible; it is illegal for physicians to receive monetary or material gain for prescribing a specific drug.

If you are injured by a defective drug or supplement, save the product and all parts and instructions that come with it, including the box it came in. This information may be vital to proving your case. In the event you are injured by a prescription drug received from your pharmacist, you should immediately go to the drug store or pharmacy which filled the prescription and obtain a copy of your prescription records.

Prescription Drug Summaries

Then, call Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC to prepare a comprehensive, compelling case for your right to receive compensation and benefits as a result of any injuries you or your loved one may have suffered due to a prescription drug injury. JGLF will fight to ensure that you are fully compensated for any such injury. You can reach JGLF at 843-CALL-JOE (843-225-5563), or contact JGLF via the online form.