MEDICAL / PHARMACEUTICAL

We represent people who have been harmed by medical error, dangerous drugs and defective medical devices.

In the year 2000, a study by the Institute of Medicine concluded that 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year due to medical mistakes.

By 2009 that figure had doubled. A study reported in Scientific American found that preventable medical mistakes and infections are responsible for about 200,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. These mistakes can be caused by physicians, nurses, residents and the failure of a hospital to put adequate procedures in place.

When Congress passed the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began placing many pharmaceutical drugs on a fast-track to approval. The faster the drugs enter the marketplace, the less time drug companies and government officials have to fully investigate the side effects of consuming the drugs. This has lead to increased numbers of dangerous drugs such as Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, Crestor, and Zocor being prescribed to millions of Americans.

Medical device manufacturers have created a similar problem by “fast-tracking” their products. A notable example is Zimmer, maker of the “Durom Cup” used in hip replacement surgery. Soon after Zimmer began selling the device, surgeons began noticing an incredibly high failure rate. Zimmer ignored complaints and warnings by surgeons and continued to sell the Durom Cup before finally suspending sales. It is estimated that several hundred thousand people received the defective implants.