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Adverse drug reactions
There are a number of reasons why you may want to sue your doctor for problems with prescription drugs. You may have been given the wrong drug, or the wrong amount of a drug which will consequently have serious effects to your health. It is also evident that all drugs have side effects which tend to be well known to doctors as they are listed in the british national formulary, a guide issued to all doctors. What is becoming increasingly more apparent though is that cartain drugs have marked adverse reactions, which if they are widely prescribed can become a major problem.
Both here and in the USA there has been an increasing awareness of the problems that drugs rushed to market without sufficient testing are causing. A number of class actions have been launched against drugs with adverse side effects. In the following examples the brand name of the drug will be given first with the generic name and manufacturer following in brackets. In many cases the drugs have been withdrawn from the market but past users may still be at risk:
Vioxx (rofecoxib - Merck)
Perhaps the most widely known case of all, a settlement of $4.85 billion was reached last year(more) after a huge number of claims in the USA. The drug, a non steroidal anti-inflammatory pain medication, was withdrawn from the market in Sep 2004. This was after it became apparent that it was associated with increased incidence of heart attack and stroke in users. It also appears that Merck was aware of these risks for some time before the drug was withdrawn.
Avandia (rosiglitazone - GlaxoSmithKline)
Used to treat non insulin dependent diabetes it has been found to increase the risk of heart attack (more) but the manufacturers dispute this.
Ortho Evra Patch (Ortho-McNeil) & NuvaRing (Organon)
Both contraceptives increase a wearer's exposure to oestrogen, the FDA in America estimates that the patch produces a blood level 60% over that of an oral contraceptive. There are a number of well known complications form excess oestrogen (heart attack, stroke, blood clots) and presumably the risk will be increased in this case.
Ketek (telithromycin - Aventis)
A derivative of the commonly used antibiotic erythromycin, it is used in serious respiratory infections. Recently it has been found to have severe effects on the liver in a few cases, producing hepatitis that was severe enough to merit transplantation.
Fosamax (alendronate - Merck)
A number of claimants insist that the drug, used to treat osteoporosis, has caused a loss of bone tissue in the jaw (osteonecrosis). Presently Merck denies this link.
Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate - Novartis)
A serotonin agonist used for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. It was withdrawn last year amid fears of increased risk of heart attack and stroke in users.