August 16, 2008

Drug Injury Prevention Attracts Medical Doctors Support

Injury from dangerous drugs can be devastating. As Orlando injury lawyers we have seen too many needless tragedies when profits are put before consumer safety. Recently, the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine came to the defense of consumers by submitting a brief in a case before the United States Supreme Court.

The editors wrote in the brief that although Federal Drug Administration is seen as "the gold standard" for evaluating drugs, the agency "simply lacks the ability to serve as the sole guarantor of drug safety." If drug makers were shielded from lawsuits related to their treatments, "FDA would be stripped of an essential source of information that the agency has consistently relied on when making its regulatory decisions, and the American public would be deprived of a vital deterrent against pharmaceutical company misconduct," the NEJM editors wrote. These medical doctors and those they represent importantly reported that almost two dozen drugs that were approved by the Federal Drug Administration have been withdrawn from the market since 1997 because of safety hazards.

These medical doctors provide support for product liability lawsuits against giant drug makers. With evidence that many drugs satisfied the low governmental standards only to be proven too dangerous after being placed on the market, the courts must remain accessible to protect consumers' risks.


August 10, 2008

Injury From Pharmacist Malpractice

As Orlando injury lawyers handling pharmacy malpractice claims we found a recent report of pharmacy malpractice quite tragic. The incident involved a pharmacist who filled a prescription that led to the death of a Florida boy. Despite the magnitude of the loss the pharmacist will only pay a $1,000 fine, according to the agreement approved by the state board. As part of the same agreement with the Florida Board of Pharmacy, Edna Irizarry must also attend an eight-hour pharmacy course and pay about $2,460 in investigation costs.
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Irizarry faced disciplinary action for processing a prescription for 3-year-old Sebastian Ferrero, who died in October 2007. Ferrero died two days after a routine test was supposed to help doctors determine why the boy’s growth was below average. Instead of receiving the prescribed dose of 5.75 grams of the amino acid arginine, officials said the Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy gave him more than 60 grams.

Understandably, the little boy's family found the action by the State of Florida to be inadequate. How can this slap on the wrist have any meaning when this malpractice and recklessness caused the death of an innocent child? Certainly, such insignificant action by the boards that regulate medicine and pharmacy have proven that individuals must act themselves to receive any justice for medical or pharmacy malpractice. Refusing to be discouraged, the family started a foundation in the hopes of preventing similar future tragedies.