When you take a medication, particularly one prescribed by your doctor, the expectation is that it will improve your health or your symptoms of a particular ailment. Unfortunately, however, situations arise in which pharmaceutical drugs cause adverse effects that match or even exceed the severity of the illnesses that doctors prescribe them to treat. In these instances, the services of a local Englewood dangerous drug lawyer can be genuinely invaluable.
While victims of harmful medications often seek restitution, the path to justice can be complicated and challenging. The attorneys at Sadaka Law have years of experience as dangerous drug lawyers in New Jersey and beyond and can help you navigate the complex legal system. We’re passionate about protecting consumers from hazardous medications and providing effective representation to each of our clients.
Background on Dangerous Drugs in the United States
To understand why dangerous drugs make it to the market and how they can adversely affect consumers, it is essential first to understand the current regulatory system in the United States. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for deciding which drugs can be marketed and sold in the country. However, the FDA plays a more minimal role in determining the safety of medications than most would assume.
Many people are surprised to learn that the FDA does not conduct drug studies on any of its approved products. Despite being responsible for regulating drugs in the entire United States, the FDA is not a testing body. Instead, they review the results of studies conducted by others, which is where the problem arises.
A concerning fact that is important to note is that, according to the FDA, most of the studies it examines to decide whether it should approve a drug for sale receive funding from drug companies themselves. This system produces a problem, as drug companies have a significant financial interest in ensuring they can sell their product as widely as possible. In many cases, this conflict of interest leads to minimizing or under-reporting potential problems with the drug to increase its odds of approval.
A medication must undergo extensive testing and vetting before the FDA can approve it. Nevertheless, drug companies release products that can potentially harm specific populations.
Why Do Dangerous Drugs Make it to the Market?
There is a strong temptation to hide the real dangers associated with their products among the various drug companies. This temptation exists because each drug that makes it to market represents a significant profit for the drug company that developed it. Unfortunately, this monetary incentive sometimes trumps safety and results in cut corners during the testing process.
While safety should always be the priority for prescription drugs, this is not always the case in practice. For drug companies, it is often more important to make a profit than to ensure the safety of their products. This prioritization leads to dishonest practices designed to increase the chances of the FDA approving a drug.
This dishonesty can occur through minimization of adverse effects or outright lying. Regardless of the method, the result can be drug companies releasing dangerous drugs on the market without conducting adequate testing.
Consequences of Inadequate Testing
These dangerous drugs cause a great deal of harm to many people in Englewood around the globe. Often, doctors don’t notice the damage these drugs cause until they make it to market and many patients take them. Once the FDA approves these drugs, drug manufacturers are free to market them to doctors and healthcare practices, which they do aggressively.
Drug companies often minimize potential side effects in this marketing or fail to disclose them entirely. Unfortunately, this creates a situation where medical professionals must work with inaccurate information, sometimes ultimately prescribing harmful drugs to their patients.
Consequently, thousands of patients on hundreds of different medications often suffer debilitating side effects; and drug manufacturers and doctors have the responsibility of notifying patients of these symptoms before starting treatment. Side effects can include a wide range of conditions and illnesses, so patients should always research the drugs they take if they experience any adverse effects.
Sadaka Law is an Englewood injury attorney law firm dealing with dangerous drugs. With our experience and tenacity, our drug injury attorneys can pursue justice for the injuries our clients suffer from. If you’ve experienced injury or harm due to prescription medication or another drug, contact Sadaka Law to discuss your options today.
Root Causes of Dangerous Drugs
One major problem stems from the fact that drug companies strive to please shareholders by increasing their profits year by year, creating dangerous competition. A single FDA-approved drug or medication can be worth billions of dollars in profits for a pharmaceutical company, meaning they have an incentive to lie. This drive for profits is a significant problem with the current drug development system in the United States.
Drug companies often defend this heated competition by arguing that it incentivizes advancement, pushing the boundaries on existing medical treatments and leading to breakthroughs. While this is true in some cases, it is crucial to examine the potential costs of this current system. Fierce competition does motivate innovation, but it also incentives urgency and speed, as being first to market with a new drug is incredibly valuable to these companies.
Although the constant competition between drug companies leads to advancement and the creation of new medications, the downside is reduced safety for consumers. The progress and development of science is traditionally a slow and methodical process. When organizations accelerate this process too much, it can become more challenging for scientists and doctors to check the necessary information thoroughly.
In addition, a more comprehensive testing process can be frustrating for those awaiting treatment, but it is essential to reduce harm once the drug hits the market. Additionally, exceptions already exist for those in desperate need of treatment, so the reason for this speed is often profit-motivated rather than care-motivated. This environment can be hazardous to consumers, as they can frequently find themselves taking a drug that they fully believe is safe, only to deal with devastating side effects.
The constant push to bring new drugs to the market directly opposes scientific wisdom, but there is often far more money in favor of the drug companies. When drug companies willfully ignore the advice of scientists and medical professionals in favor of boosting their profits, it’s essential to hold them responsible. Unfortunately, the only mechanism to hold them accountable under the current system is to file legal action, making it crucial for patients to pursue recourse for their injuries.
Why Take Legal Action
When drug companies hide critical information regarding a drug from the FDA, they create an extremely hazardous situation. In such cases, the FDA has no way to know who may be likely to suffer injuries or die from a particular drug until the consumers start taking the medication. Moreover, once the company starts selling the drug, it can be challenging to identify problems before they are widespread, as recognizing an illness as the side effect of a drug takes time.
Tragically, patients die each year from complications or side effects stemming from a medication ordered by their doctor. Some of these drugs later prove responsible for causing death and disability to thousands of patients. Under United States law, patients injured by these drugs, or the families of those who died, may be entitled to recourse from the drug manufacturer.
Pursuing legal action is important to ensure victims receive compensation for their injuries, but it also plays a vital role in preventing similar situations. Furthermore, holding these drug companies responsible for their behavior is the only recourse the public has against the continuation of these practices.
Path to Justice
If a hazardous drug causes harm to you or a loved one, the first step is to work with a personal injury attorney to file a claim against the drug manufacturer. In addition, if a dangerous drug causes the death of a loved one, family members may have the option of filing a wrongful death claim to fight for compensation for pain and suffering. However, these claims are complex, so legal assistance from a local Englewood, NJ dangerous drug lawyer can be beneficial.
There are three distinct grounds on which a consumer can file a personal injury or wrongful death claim against a drug manufacturer. Choosing the correct basis for your case is essential to success, so the following sections will cover the three different ways consumers can hold these companies accountable for their actions.
Serious Side Effects
The most basic type of dangerous drug claim pursues drug companies who release medications with severe side effects. These effects are often separate from the intended use of the drug and can cause severe complications for patients who take them. If you believe you are suffering due to an adverse side effect of a drug, call Sadaka Law to discuss your options.
Improper Marketing
The law requires drug manufacturers to disclose the full extent of the effects of their products. This requirement ensures patients can make an informed decision regarding which medications they want to put in their bodies. However, it can be tempting for drug manufacturers to downplay adverse effects in their marketing to boost sales.
When a drug company dishonestly advertises its product and causes harm to a patient, it’s essential to hold them accountable. This practice creates a dangerous environment for patients, so pursuing legal action for improper marketing claims can make things safer for patients across the nation.
Defective Manufacturing
A consumer might have a case against a drug company for defective manufacturing if an error or contaminant in its product caused their injury. These claims are distinct from other dangerous drug injury claims, as the harm must not be inherent to the drug itself. Instead, these claims penalize drug companies who make mistakes when producing the medication that causes injuries to patients.
Since drug companies are massive corporations, taking them on in court is a significant undertaking. Each of these companies retains teams of influential attorneys to defend them against injury claims from consumers of their drugs. Fortunately, at Sadaka Law, we have years of experience battling these companies in court and can provide representation for your claim.
Value of Dangerous Drug Claims
The recourse available to patients harmed by dangerous drugs depends on the extent of the injuries, so there is no way to give an absolute number on what your case may be worth. However, working with an experienced dangerous drug lawyer from a New Jersey law firm like Sadaka Law is an integral step towards fighting for justice.
Handling a dangerous drug claim is often complicated. Receiving legal guidance can help you navigate the claims process and determine what compensation to pursue.
Call Sadaka Law Today
If you or a loved one is dealing with an injury from taking a dangerous drug, it’s time to pursue justice. At Sadaka Law in Englewood, our attorneys are passionate about creating a safer environment for American patients by pursuing legal action against irresponsible drug manufacturers. We work hard to fight for your compensation and combat the high-budgeted legal teams that drug companies field in these cases.
When dealing with any health problem, it can be challenging to find the motivation to take action. However, if you believe a drug company is responsible for harming you or a loved one, contact a lawyer as soon as possible to fight for compensation and file a claim. Although legal actions won’t erase the harm caused by the drug manufacturer, clients can often find closure in holding the negligent party responsible for their actions.
For dangerous drug litigation in Englewood, NJ, turn to Sadaka Law. Our friendly staff members take their responsibility to our clients seriously and are happy to discuss your situation and the options available to you.
If you believe you or a loved one suffers from injuries due to prescription medication, contact a Englewood dangerous drug lawyer from Sadaka Law. Call us today at (800) 810-3457 to schedule a consultation.
