PRESCRIPTION DRUG CLAIMS

If you or a loved one has been harmed due to prescription drugs, for example Neurontin, you may need a trial lawyer with experience with these types of complex cases. On behalf of our clients, Marks & Harrison hires physicians, nurses, vocational rehabilitation specialists and forensic economists to prove damages, future medical costs and lost earnings. Since 1911, our prescription drug claims attorneys have been representing injured people and their families in Richmond and throughout Virginia and fighting for their rights. Our law firm was built on the fundamental belief that our clients come first. Helping injured people is our only business.

In some instances, people have to suffer injury or die before a prescription medication recall is instituted. Today’s miracle drugs can save lives, but they can also end them. In some patients, prescription drugs such as Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex can cause serious cardiovascular side effects including heart attack and stroke. In the United States, an estimated 200,000 Americans die annually due to adverse reactions and harmful side-effects of prescription drugs. Adverse drug reactions in hospital patients alone cause 2.2 million injuries each year.

Prescription drugs are often rushed to market without adequate testing. The long-term effects of prescription medications are difficult to determine. Tests that most people assume are performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are sometimes done by laboratories and are funded by the drug manufacturer.

When an injury occurs and a lawsuit is filed, the case will be based on personal injury law and typically fall into subcategories such as prescription negligence, pharmaceutical injury law, product failure or medical malpractice / negligence. Lawsuits, in which the foundation is a medication, can also be based on improperly filled prescriptions. Either a medication is prescribed that contradicts a medication that the patient is already taking, or a pharmacist gives an incorrect medication or dosage. In a situation such as this, pharmacists and/or doctors could be held liable. If a person dies due to a medication, a wrongful death case may be filed. Other times, a medication causes serious illnesses or side effects that could lead to the drug manufacturer being held accountable.

At Marks & Harrison, we believe that drug companies owe consumers a duty to assure that their medications are reasonably safe when used as intended. Their obligation is to make safe products, including the duty to design, manufacture, inspect and label a product appropriately. Federal law states that:

• Drug manufacturers who fail to design, manufacture, inspect and label pharmaceuticals appropriately may be held liable.  A pharmaceutical manufacturer may also be liable for a patient’s injuries when they have failed to warn of a drug's potential side effects or dangers.
• Medical doctors, nurses, dentists, osteopaths and health care facilities (hospitals, nursing homes) can be found liable for deviating from the acceptable standard of patient care. 
• Malpractice may exist if there is proof that a healthcare provider placed their personal interest or that of the pharmaceutical industry above patient’s interests.  It is not only reprehensible, it is illegal for physicians to receive monetary or material gain for prescribing a specific drug.

Litigation may be the only way to receive the damages to which you may be entitled. Such damages may include lost wages, medical bills, and/or financial compensation to heirs (in the case of a wrongful death). Our team of prescription drug negligence lawyers will review your situation and inform you as to whether you have a viable case.

At Marks & Harrison, our prescription drug negligence attorneys have years of experience working on these difficult and important cases. We are on your side, and place our clients’ interests above all else. We vow – within the bounds of honesty, fairness and ethics – to use all of our strengths and resources to achieve a just result in all that we undertake.

To review the experience of our prescription drug injury attorneys, please see:
Recent Significant Verdicts
Firm News & Press

For more information on personal injury cases in Virginia, please review:
Personal Injury
Personal Injury Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Personal Injury Legal Glossary

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