Manufacturers of drugs and supplements must follow strict rules from the FDA. When manufacturers violate those rules and are negligent, they may be held legally responsible if that conduct is proven to cause injuries.
If you believe that a drug, over-the-counter medicine, or herbal supplement has caused you or a loved one to suffer serious injuries, our experienced pharmaceutical lawyers in Minneapolis can evaluate your situation and explain your options.
Dangerous Drugs & Supplements Quick Facts
Prescription drugs and over-the counter products and herbal supplements can have contaminations, design defects, manufacturing defects, improper instructions for use, inadequate testing, or even defective warnings. Any of these problems can cause serious injuries.
Drug manufacturers can be held liable for injuries to consumers based on theories of negligence, strict liability, failure to warn, fraud or even intentional or malicious conduct.
Here are some of the common legal theories available to plaintiffs in pharmaceutical liability litigation:
Design:
Defective design of the drug or supplement occurs when serious risks outweigh the benefits of the product.
Manufacturing
Inadequate testing of a drug or supplement prior to its sale and use by consumers. This also includes drugs or supplements that are contaminated by the manufacturer.
Warning:
A failure to warn about a drug’s potential risk or side effects. This also includes fraudulent over-promotion and advertising by the manufacturer that violates federal law.
Injuries and Liability
Injuries: When it comes to pharmaceuticals, accuracy is crucial. When something is off, such as the marketing or the manufacturing, it can cause terrible injuries to the user. In the worst-case scenario, it can even be fatal. This is why it is so important for pharmaceutical companies be held accountable when there are errors.
Liability: In drug-related cases, it’s you vs. the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug. Of course, you won’t be alone. Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC has years of experience with these cases, and our lawyers are top notch.
Free Consultations
Not only do we offer free consultations, but we work for you on a contingency basis. Unlike most law firms, we do not ask you for any money up front or send you monthly bills. That means we only charge a fee if we recover for you. If we are successful with your claim, our firm will receive a percentage of your settlement. Additionally, we will be reimbursed for reasonable costs that we incur in pursuing your case. We do a complete accounting for you at the end of your case.
Belviq Cancer Lawsuit
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended a recall of all lots of Belviq and Belviq XR from the U.S. market after a clinical study found an increase in the occurrence of cancer among users. The cancers linked to Belviq include lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer. Belviq (lorcaserin) is a prescription weight loss drug originally approved by the FDA in 2012.
Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements are vitamins, probiotics, minerals, herbs, and enzymes. They are sold in the form of pills, powders, shakes, and bars and advertised to help with things like bodybuilding, weight loss, pain, disease, anti-aging, and brain power. Some supplements seem too good to be true. The FDA has banned the manufacturers of dietary supplements from claiming that their product can treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Unfortunately, it’s up to the manufacturers to regulate the safety of their own products. Too often, manufacturers break the rules and make false claims about their products, and there are simply too many of these products for the FDA to monitor.
Elmiron Vision Loss Lawsuit
Elmiron is a bladder pain medication that has been linked to serious vision problems, including maculopathy, vision loss, retina damage, macular degeneration, and other diseases of the eye.
Neocate
Neocate is a formula prescribed for children who cannot tolerate milk or other foods. According to the manufacturer, Nutricia, “Neocate formula offers complete hypoallergenic nutrition that is tailored for kids with food allergies…”
Talcum Powder
Studies have evidenced a potential link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Our experienced lawyers can help you with your talcum powder and ovarian cancer lawsuit. We’ll make sure you’re represented fairly and accurately so you can leave the sleepless nights to us. Contact our Talcum Powder Cancer Team today.
Xeljanz Lawsuit
Xeljanz works by decreasing a substance called cytokines. Cytokines are proteins that help control the immune system. People with rheumatoid arthritis make more cytokines than needed, which leads to inflammation and pain. Xeljanz disrupts cell signals in the Janus kinase (JAK) pathways to decrease the production of cytokines.
Zantac Cancer Lawsuit
Zantac (ranitidine) is taken for conditions such as heartburn, acid indigestion, sour stomach, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, and erosive esophagitis, among others. The FDA has announced the recall of Zantac and its generic formulation ranitidine due to contamination with the probable human carcinogen N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).
Valsartan
The FDA recalled Valsartan in July 2018 after finding the probable human carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) had contaminated the drug in a supplier’s facility. This carcinogenic substance has been linked to serious injuries such as an increased risk of the following cancers:
A True Story:
A young woman from California used a newer birth control medication. She suddenly suffered a blood clot in her brain that tragically led to her death. Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC investigated the case and found medical studies that indicated the drug she was given increases estrogen levels, leading to increased risk of blood clots. Further, it was determined that the drug company failed to warn about this risk. After extensive litigation against the drug company, a confidential settlement was reached for the family.
What You Need to Know: Our Experience with Drugs & Supplements
Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC has over 38 years of experience helping injured people recover against drug and supplement manufacturers. We work with clients wherever they live and litigate cases across the country, including:
- Belviq
- Dietary Supplements
- Elmiron
- Neocate
- Talcum Powder
- Zantac
- Xelijanz
- Valsartan
We will guide you or your family through the process and give you the best chance of recovery.
All drug and supplement cases are based on proving three things: Fault of the manufacturer, the cause of the injury, and damages to the client. Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC is a science-based firm. We review all the medical articles and studies on the product, the regulatory history, and documents available to understand how to prove the defect and causation. We then consult with top experts in the field and develop case criteria for success. We will be screening your case to make sure it meets these criteria.
Did a Drug or Supplement Cause Your Injuries?
If you experience any adverse reactions to a prescription drug, nutritional supplement, or over-the-counter product, tell your doctor immediately. However, you should never discontinue the use of a drug without speaking to your doctor. In many cases, the doctors are unaware of the side effects since the manufacturer has not warned about them.
Once you retain our firm, our team of attorneys and legal assistants becomes your team. We will gather all information and evidence to meet the scientific criteria established to help prove your case. We will need your medical history, pharmacy records confirming product use, medical records related to treatment, and information about how frequently you took the drug and in what amounts. Then, we will review them with an expert.
Discovery
We will also request relevant information about the drug from the manufacturer through a process called discovery. In discovery, we can request documents from the other side and depose witnesses.
Evidence that may be helpful to a plaintiff’s case includes:
- Reports of adverse drug reactions
- Complaints the manufacturer received about the drug
- Correspondence between the defendant and the FDA
- Materials from clinical trials
- Laboratory studies
- Sales and advertising information
- Product labels and inserts
- Prior lawsuits involving the drug
- Medical or scientific studies funded by the defendant
No Fee Unless We Recover
We work for you on a contingency basis. Unlike most law firms, we do not ask you for any money up front or send you monthly bills. That means we only charge a fee if we recover for you. If we are successful with your claim, our firm will receive a percentage of your settlement. Additionally, we will be reimbursed for reasonable costs that we incur in pursuing your case. We do a complete accounting for you at the end of your case.
Your retainer agreement is the contract between us. We cannot represent you until we have a signed retainer agreement, so there is never any question of how this works for you. Transparency is everything with us. You will never owe us anything unless we recover for you. We are always happy to answer any questions.
Don’t let this process intimidate you. We have helped thousands of clients go through this process.
Contact us. You will sleep better.
FAQs for Dangerous Drugs & Supplements
Who regulates drug manufacturers?
Drug and supplement manufacturers are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
What can happen if manufacturers violate the FDA’s drug & supplement regulations?
If manufacturers are found to have acted negligently or in violation of the applicable rules, the manufacturers may be found legally responsible in the event that the drug or supplement is proven to have caused injuries to users.
What happens if a manufacturer fails to warn consumers about a potential risk or side effect?
Drug manufacturers can be held legally responsible for injuries to consumers based on negligence, strict liability, failure to warn, fraud, or intentional or malicious conduct. In these drug-related cases, it’s you against the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the drug. However, you will not be alone if you contact Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC. Our team has over 30 years of experience with these cases and will give you the Gold standard of advocacy.
Which injuries can be caused by a dangerous drug or supplement?
Prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements can be contaminated, defectively designed, defectively manufactured, improperly instructed for use, inadequately tested, or even defectively warned about. If any of these errors occur, the user may suffer from serious injuries, and even death.
Can vitamin supplements be dangerous?
There have been recent lawsuits alleging that certain supplements are contaminated with heavy metals along with lawsuits detailing how ingredients were misrepresented, and as a result, caused harm to consumers. Vitamin supplements can be dangerous in doses that are too high. They can also be harmful when those who use these supplements rely on them for a source of vitamins which isn’t as high as they were led to believe–or when the vitamins were not even present at all. In serious cases, as a result of misleading supplement claims, people have experienced liver damage.
How do I know if I have a defective drug or defective supplement case?
If you or a loved one has an adverse reaction to a prescription drug, nutritional supplement, or over-the-counter product, the first thing to do is reach out to your doctor. Once you have received guidance from your doctor, contact the attorneys at Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC to determine whether the drug or supplement was defective. At Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, we will provide you with the Gold standard of advocacy.
Drug and supplement lawsuits are all about proving three things:
- Fault of the manufacturer
- Causation of the injury
- Damage to the client.
Your team at Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC will review your medical history, pharmacy records confirming the product use, medical records related to the treatment, and information about how frequently you took the drug and in what amounts. The team will also read all the medical articles and studies on the product, the regulatory history, and available documents to understand how to prove that the defect occurred and caused your injuries. Then, your Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC team will consult with experts and develop your case further.
How much does it cost to hire a dangerous drug & supplement lawyer?
Nothing! Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC offers free consultations and works for you on a contingency basis. This means that it will not cost you anything to hire us as your attorneys, and we will not send you any bills. We will only charge a fee if we recover for you, and we will only accept a settlement if we have your consent. If we are successful in resolving your claim, our firm will receive a percentage of the settlement. Additionally, our firm will be reimbursed for the reasonable costs that are incurred in pursuing your case.