When a Drug's Risks are Not Advertised, it is a Defective Drug

 Posted on November 04,2017 in Drugs

Drug manufacturers have the responsibility to disclose all potential side effects of their products. They must be disclosed to doctors who may prescribe the products to patients and to patients who may take the drugs. By providing this information, drug companies make it possible for doctors to weigh the benefits and potential risks of a particular medication before prescribing it to a patient and patients can consider whether the benefits outweigh the risks before deciding whether or not to take the medication. Without disclosures of potential side effects, doctors and patients cannot make fully informed decisions about their drug use.

When doctors and patients choose not to take a drug because of its risks, drug sales plummet. Thus, it can be quite lucrative for drug manufacturers to downplay or even fail to advertise their products' potential risks despite this being a dishonest act and a violation of their product liability. Drug manufacturers are liable for the damages victims suffer from using their products, which can be sought through defective drug claims.

Actemra's Risks to Users

One example of a drug whose side effects were not advertised to doctors or patients is Actemra, a rheumatoid arthritis medication. Most rheumatoid arthritis medications, such as Humira, Remicade, and Enbrel, have side effects that include an increased risk of suffering a stroke, heart attack, and lung disease. Using Actemra also increases patients' risk of suffering these conditions, but it was widely advertised as not having these side effects in an effort to differentiate it from other drugs in its class.

Because doctors believed Actemra did not increase users' risks of suffering these conditions, they prescribed it to populations with existing conditions that put them at risk and often failed to monitor patients for harm related to Acemtra use.

Seeking Compensation for Financial Damages Related to Actemra Use

In addition to increasing a user's risk of suffering from lung disease, heart attack, and stroke, Actemra suppresses the user's immune system. This puts the user at an increased risk of suffering infections.

Even a relatively benign infection can cause an individual to miss work for one or more days and require him or her to pay out of pocket for medical costs, such as doctor appointments and medication. When a patient's illness could have been prevented if an act of negligence had not occurred, the negligent party could be liable for his or her financial damages.

Work with an Experienced Fox River Grove Defective Drug Lawyer

Suffering from unadvertised side effects while using a drug can cause you to face severe financial damages. If you are a victim of Actemra or another drug whose potential side effects were not advertised to doctors and their patients, you could potentially recover compensation for these damages through a defective drug claim. Contact our team of defective drug lawyers at Newland & Newland, LLP today to schedule your initial consultation in our office. We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas.

(image courtesy of Hush Naidoo)