On September 15, 1997, the Food and Drug Administration removed Pondimin from the market.  Pondimin, Fenfluramine, was one half of the popular weight loss cocktail known as Fen-Phen.  The drug was shown to cause thickening of the heart valves of some people as well as a causing a lethal disease called Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in some others.  Fen-Phen lawsuits were filed and lawyers started to put together a case against the drug manufacturer, American Home Products.  Who was one of the leaders for consumers in getting important documents, reviewing thousands of pages of material, working with experts to prove the case, taking the depositions of company officials and experts hired by them, and taking the first case to trial? -- Robert Kisselburgh.  In 1999, Robert was co-counsel in the first Fen-Phen case that resulted in a verdict against the product manufacturer—AHP.  Unfortunately, the Fen-Phen saga is one of many involving dangerous prescription drugs.

Prescription Drugs can be Dangerous

Although there are thousands of prescription drugs that help consumers each day, there are also many that injure the patients they are intended to cure.  It is estimated that prescription drugs kill more than 100,000 people a year and seriously injure another 2.1 million annually in the U.S.  Unfortunately, that is not the whole story.  When drugs are submitted for approval, the FDA relies upon information provided by the drug manufacturer.  Rarely does the FDA do its own testing—it relies on the drug manufacturer to provide this valuable data to the FDA.  Once the FDA approves the drug, the manufacturer of the drug is responsible to collecting reports of adverse reactions.  While the FDA also maintains an adverse reaction reporting service, the manufacturer usually receives more reports and is obligated to report it to the FDA.  However, some manufacturers don’t report all the material they are supposed to report or downplay the information they do report.  Thus, seemingly helpful prescription drugs slip through the dubious watchfulness of the Food and Drug Administration and pose serious dangers to consumers. Who fights for your rights then?

Prescription Drug Recalls are Only Half the Battle

Consumers trust the FDA to oversee prescription drugs and remove prescription drugs from the market when proven dangerous. Unfortunately, the FDA is slow to act in many instances.  The fact that dangerous drugs stay on the market for months or even years after the FDA learns of adverse reactions casts into question the FDA’s reliability as a prescription drug watchdog.  Who is the FDA’s customer—the American public or the drug manufacturers?  While the obvious answer is the consumer, some in the FDA think differently and consider the drug manufacturers their partners.  In those cases, who is watching out for the safety of the American public? 

The other problem is that doctors rely on the drug companies and the FDA for information on drug hazards and adverse reactions.  When the information given to the doctors is filtered through the drug manufacturers, the information provided to doctors is sometimes not the most accurate and relevant information, and in some cases, misleading or fraudulent.

You Need an Experienced Attorney to Review your Prescription Drug case

Prescription drug recalls are only one piece of the puzzle.  A recall provides no relief to the injuries a person received from using the recalled drug.  Further, in many cases, people begin experiencing medical problems before prescription drugs are ever recalled.  It is up to the patient to prove that the medical problems are linked to the prescription drug. This is where an experienced prescription drug attorney can help—an attorney like Robert Kisselburgh who has been on the front lines of one of the largest prescription drug trials in United States history and has the experience to prosecute your prescription drug case to completion.  Robert knows how to conduct the research that goes into a prescription drug case, and has the expertise to hold the large pharmaceutical companies accountable.  He has successfully recovered millions of dollars for clients injured by prescription drugs.

Our firm is currently reviewing cases where injuries were caused by the following drugs:

BYETTA:  a drug used by adults for type 2 diabetes mellitus and linked to pancreatitis and renal failure.

REGLAN:  a drug intended for short term use and treatment of gastrointestinal disease.  It is linked to Tardive Dyskinesia.

Widely recognized for his expertise in representing people injured by prescription drugs, Robert Kisselburgh has successfully represented hundreds of individuals injured by prescription drugs.  If you or a loved one has been seriously injured while taking prescription medications, please call us at 601-936-4040 or contact us online for a FREE CONSULTATION.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG RESOURCES

FDA MedWatch Program:  The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting System is a great resource for finding specific alerts on prescription drugs and medical devices, safety-related drug labeling changes and other FDA safety-related information.

Index to Drug-Specific Information

Postmarketing Drug Safety Information for Patients and Providers

FDA Patient Safety News:  Offers various videos on safety-related news for prescription drugs and medical devices.

Calendar of Upcoming FDA Advisory Committee Meetings

Code of Federal Regulations--related to Food and Drugs

To learn more about lawsuits about specific drugs, click on the drug link below: