Alexandria Dangerous Drugs Attorney

There are hundreds of thousands of prescription drugs in circulation every day, and almost everyone takes or has taken at least one in their lifetime. Unfortunately, many of these prescription drugs are not as safe as one would hope. Dangerous prescription drugs do exist and many people are hurt, injured, or even killed from taking them every year. Defective or dangerous prescription drugs are deemed as such if they have very dangerous side effects, cause health problems, or result in death. Since the benefits of taking the drug are usually far-outweighed by the risks, the drug is deemed dangerous and laws are in place to protect those who have been injured by such prescriptions. If you or a loved one has taken a prescription drug as directed and experienced illness or death, you might be entitled to financial compensation under the law. An Alexandria dangerous prescription drugs lawyer can review all the facts of your case, and give you a forthright assessment of your potential claim. Learn more about other personal injury claims in Alexandria.

Dangerous Prescription Drugs in Alexandria, VA

Dangerous prescription drugs are not always unknown or made by smaller brands. In fact, even well-known drugs, such as Topamax, have been found to be dangerous by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when prescribed to certain patients. Many times the developers of such prescriptions simply overlook aspects of the drug that make it dangerous, but far too often corporate greed comes before patient protection and consumers are harmed. Many cases have gone to court involving pharmaceutical companies that used substandard ingredients, overlooked flaws, or made other similar decisions in an effort to save money and increase profits. This type of action almost always results in injury or illness to the patient, and those responsible for that injury must be held accountable. There are three common types of dangerous prescription drug cases: pharmaceutical errors, biased reporting, and failure to warn.

Pharmaceutical Errors in Alexandria

Pharmaceutical errors happen frequently, but most of them are simply the result of human error and not all of them cause injury or illness. However, whether they are oversights or instances of malpractice, those errors that cause illness or harm to the consumer are often grounds for a lawsuit. The Code of Virginia has an extensive section devoted to pharmaceutical practice. Chapter 33 of Title 54.1 of the state code details all of the rules, regulations, and procedures which must be followed and to which those in the pharmaceutical community must adhere. From proper licensing to workplace behavior to liability, the law is extensive, even in the subsection of pharmaceutical practices.

Biased reporting occurs when those who decide to advertise a prescription drug purposefully, or with bias, mislead consumers to believe something about the drug that is not necessarily true. It can also occur when official reports are made to government agencies, which are in place to ensure the safety of consumers and the adherence by pharmaceutical workers to the law. Many times numbers are changed, ingredients are left out, or erroneous reports are made or given. This behavior sometimes leads to the injury or illness of a consumer.

Failure to warn simply means that during the course of examination the drug manufacturers or retailers come across a defect or other such flaw that could cause serious harm or illness to the consumer and they do not report it. Virginia law stipulates that these flaws must be reported within a reasonable time frame and consumers must be warned. Failure to warn also refers to the failure of drug manufacturers to warn consumers about possibly dangerous side effects. For instance, if a prescription drug can cause a person to become dizzy and there is nothing on the label to inform the consumer that they should not take the drug and then drive or operate machinery, a consumer who took the drug and was subsequently injured in a car accident due to the side effects of the drug may have grounds for a lawsuit based on the company’s failure to warn.

Call an Alexandria Dangerous Prescription Drugs Lawyer

If you or a loved one in the Alexandria area has taken a prescription drug and become ill or has died as a result of it, you should seek legal counsel immediately. Virginia law has many legal avenues for those who have been harmed by dangerous prescriptions, but the legal system is complex and extremely detailed. A qualified legal professional is equipped with the knowledge, resources, and power to successfully navigate the system and obtain the best possible outcome for you. There are likely laws protecting you and rights you have of which you are not aware, and the highly-respected Alexandria dangerous prescription drugs lawyers with our firm can direct you to someone who can help you to file a claim. Retain legal counsel and ensure your rights are protected.