Deadly Drug Interactions Increasing Cause of Medical Malpractice Claims
It is no secret that the pharmaceutical companies routinely create one drug that stops X symptoms, but that creates Y and Z symptoms. They then create another drug to counteract those symptoms, and so on and so forth. Because of this, when an individual is prescribed one medication for their medical condition, they end up on several. Unfortunately, this leads to the very real risk that the drugs will interact negatively with one another and result in dangerous, potentially deadly, side effects.
Risk of Adverse Drug Reactions
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 40 percent of U.S. residents are on four or more medications at any given time. The prevalent nature of prescription drugs in our society has led to the more than 100,000 deaths from adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and another two million cases of “serious complications.” This makes ADRs much more dangerous and three times more deadly than automobile accidents.
Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry is growing bigger and stronger every day, and more and more individuals are turning to multiple medications to control some aspect or another of their health. Furthermore, with a rapidly growing aging population, physicians anticipate prescribing more medications in the coming years than ever before. Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers worry that these factors point to very clear trend lines: that adverse drug interactions will increase, and only continue to do so, for the foreseeable future.
Can Adverse Drug Reactions Be Prevented?
ADRs can be prevented with thorough education, labeling, and drug use controls. It is a physician’s job to ensure that his or her patients are prescribed only medications that will further increase their health, and to do their research before prescribing secondary and tertiary medications to combat symptoms of the first. By encouraging education on both the doctor and patient’s parts, the pharmaceutical industry can combat the number of ADRs significantly, and even prevent the unwarranted deaths of thousands of individuals.
Legal Remedies to ADRs
At The Pendas Law Firm, our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers encourage patients who have experienced an adverse drug reaction to contact our firm right away. ADRs are often very serious and life threatening. They are also easily preventable. If you or a loved one experienced an ADR, it was likely the result of negligence. In some cases, it could even have been the result of a bad drug. You have legal rights in either instance, and you should exercise them.
Our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers have extensive experience in helping clients achieve the compensation they need and deserve after experiencing a personal injury at the hands of a medical professional. We can help you and your loved ones navigate the malpractice claims process, present strong evidence in support of your claim, and achieve a beneficial outcome. Furthermore, we can ensure that such malpractice does not continue to negatively affect other patients. To consult with a member of our firm today, call 1-844-200-0000 now.
The Pendas Law Firm also serves clients in the Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Miami, Daytona, Bradenton, and Orlando areas.
Resource:
fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/DevelopmentResources/DrugInteractionsLabeling/ucm110632.htm
