Harmful Drugs and Defective Medical Devices

Evansville, IN: Much has been written about MRI health risks, specifically MRI kidney failure. The usual suspect here is the gadolinium contrasting agent that is often used in concert with MRI. Gadolinium is considered safe if it can be quickly eradicated from the body. However if it can't—as some patients with chronic kidney disease or kidney failure have discovered—the end result, dubbed by some as gadolinium kidney failure, can be devastating. [ Read More ]

Toledo, OH: It has been over a year since the massive Heparin recall was announced in the wake of numerous deaths and reports of serious illness following exposure to Heparin syringes. In that year, patients have learned a lot about Heparin contamination and the factors that can result in their being exposed to contaminated medications. [ Read More ]

Lansing, MI: "I went to the doctor for a chest cold and I told him I wanted to quit smoking, obviously cigarettes were making me worse," says Diane (not her real name). "He said I could not get a prescription for Chantix because I suffer from bi-polar disease. He didn't have to tell me that because his father (also a doctor) put me on Chantix last year and I almost committed suicide". [ Read More ]

The list of dangerous drugs seems to grow each year. Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs are responsible for more than 200,000 deaths per year in the United States. Many adverse side effects don't come to light until after a product has been released into the general population.

It has become commonplace for drugs to be recalled after millions of innocent patients have taken the medication they thought would benefit them. FDA approval is no guarantee that a drug is safe, as recent recalls have shown. If you have been harmed by a prescription or over-the-counter drug, you should contact an attorney to have your claim evaluated. Some recent examples of drugs gone bad are:

Avandia: increased risk of heart attack
Celebrex: increased blood clots leading to stroke
Chantix: linked to suicide
Cipro: can cause tendon rupture
Digitek: recalled due to double-strength tablets
Fosamax: linked to necrosis of the jaw
Gardasil: can cause paralysis
Heparin: contamination linked to allergic reactions
Ortho Evra: can cause blood clots and strokes
Paxil: can cause heart defects in infants

Medical implants are becoming more and more common in the treatment of such things as heart ailments. However, thousands of people die or suffer as a result of defective medical devices. Even after being approved by the government, devices can cause serious injury or even death.

The types of devices that can cause serious injury include pacemakers, defibrillators, hernia patches, valve implants and joint replacements. Recent defective medical devices include:

Shoulder Pain Pump:
   can cause PAGCL
Medtronic Sprint Fidelis:
   faulty leads
AMO Lens Solution:
   can cause blindness
ReNu Lens Solution:
   eye infections
Hip and Knee Replacement:
   implant failure