Pharmeceutical Product Liability

DRUG INJURY LAWYER

When we take medication over-the-counter or prescribed by a doctor, we often assume that it is safe for our use. Many people believe that these medications and drugs undergo significant testing to make sure that they will work as intended. We rely on the warnings to decide whether or not to take the medication. Sometimes, however, drug companies are aware of other potential side effects and risks that they fail to warn the public about. Rather than pull the drug off the market, or update its warnings, some manufacturers have continued to sell the drugs and bring in billions of dollars in revenue.
The drug liability lawyers at the Andrew & Merilyn Associates can fight for your rights if you suffered severe side effects or if a loved one died because of a medication. Nearly every year, additional drug class action lawsuits are filed throughout Canada. There is often power in numbers which can help prove that a drug caused unintended side effects which can seriously injure or kill patients. If you were taking medication and had a stroke, heart attack, amputation, were diagnosed with certain cancers or if a loved one died, call us today at 800-337-7755 to see if you may qualify for compensation for your injuries.

EXPERIENCED DRUG INJURY LAWYERS IN Toronto

The drug product liability lawyers at the Andrew & Merilyn Associates have experience representing victims of medication errors and unintended side effects. From Vioxx to NuvaRing and many others, our drug injury lawyers have recovered compensation for victims throughout Canada. Each case is different and you should speak with our drug injury lawyer in Toronto about your specific case.

WHAT IS A DRUG INJURY LAWSUIT?

You may qualify for a drug injury lawsuit or a medication class action if you suffered unintended side effects or consequences from taking medication as prescribed. There are a few common grounds to bring a drug injury lawsuit in Toronto. These include:

Failure to warn: When a medication is approved by the FDA or it is otherwise put on the market for sale at a pharmacy or store, it often comes with certain warnings so that the consumer can make an educated decision of whether or not to take the medication. These warnings may also inform the user about drug interactions if the patient is taking other medication or has any medical devices. When the manufacturer fails to warn of a side effect that causes a patient to have a heart attack, stroke, develop cancer or other serious side effects, the drug manufacturer may be held responsible to compensate the patient for the injury caused by the medication.

Manufacturing defect: A drug manufacturing defect may exist where a drug was designed a certain way, but some error occurred during the manufacturing process. The case may arise, for example, when a medication is being manufactured and foreign particles get into the formula or expired chemicals are used.

Design defect: A design defect may occur in a drug injury case when certain chemicals are used to formulate the medication but those chemicals can cause a breakdown within the body or a reaction within the body that can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or increased risk of cancer.

Some drug injury lawsuits can combine different areas of liability, and sometimes manufactures could make errors in the design which could then lead to a failure to warn when they knew or should have known of an increase risk of cancer, stroke, or heart attack. There are also numerous warranty claims which might arise when the medication fails to work as prescribed or contains additional risks which were not disclosed to the patient.

MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS WHICH MAY LEAD TO A LAWSUIT

Over the years, there have been many medication class actions and drug injury lawsuits throughout Canada. There are certain types of injuries and symptoms which are more commonly seen by patients in these lawsuits.

Heart attack – There are various reasons why someone could have a heart attack. However, certain medications and chemicals have been known to increase the risk of heart attacks. If someone already has a predisposition putting them at risk for a heart attack, giving them a medication which can further increase that risk may put their life in jeopardy or act as the trigger for the heart attack. When a manufacturer knows that its medication has an increased risk of heart attack, it generally has a duty to warn patients so that they can decide whether or not that risk of death or a heart attack is worth taking that medication or if there are alternative medications with a lesser risk that they could choose.

Stroke – There have been numerous drug class action lawsuits where a medication has a higher propensity for increased risk of stroke than the patient would otherwise have had but for taking the medication. Some medications can cause blood clots which can further increase the risk of stroke. If a drug manufacturer knows or should know that their medication could increase the risk of stroke, or as soon as they learn after receiving complaints from patients about increased risk of stroke, they may have a duty to further warn all of the patients or to remove the medication from the market.

Cancer – Some medications may contain chemicals which have been known to increase risk of cancer, or when combined with other medication can increase risk of cancer. Drug companies generally have a duty to warn patients when their medication can increase the risk of cancer.

Blindness and Vision Problems – Some medications can allegedly cause maculopathy and blindness after prolonged use. If you were taking a prescription drug and were diagnosed with maculopathy, you may be entitled to compensation.

Death – Medications that are supposed to help us can sometimes make us sick or put us at risk for an accidental death from the side effects. When companies know or should know of the potential dangers, they generally have a duty to warn the public or take the products off the market. When they breach that duty, they may have to compensate the patient’s family.

DO I QUALIFY FOR A DRUG INJURY LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT?

When a drug lawsuit settles, there are often certain factors taken into consideration to determine whether you may qualify for a drug injury lawsuit settlement. This may include how long you took the medication for, what dosage you took, whether you took the medication as prescribed and what side effects or symptoms you had. In some class action settlements, the amount of money you may receive may be determined by the side effect that you had, how much your medical bills were as a result of the side effect and other factors.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN MDL, MCL AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR A DRUG INJURY?

An MDL stands for multi district litigation. For most MDL lawsuits, they start off as individual lawsuits brought by singular patients alleging injury for the wrongful death of a loved one because of the medication. When numerous similar lawsuits are filed in federal court throughout Canada and involve a common question whether the manufacture is legally liable, the cases may be consolidated into one master case. The idea is that it is much more cost efficient and time efficient to litigate one case on liability then have numerous cases litigating the same exact issue. Having numerous cases can risk inconsistent rulings by the court and can further prolong the case and add unnecessary expense to the patients. Cases may be consolidated during the liability phase then may get sent back to their original courts to decide the individual plaintiff’s damages.

An MCL stands for multi county litigation and is common in drug injury lawsuits filed in Toronto state courts. It is similar to multi district litigation but involves numerous individual lawsuits filed in multiple counties in Toronto. The cases may be consolidated before one judge in Toronto state court. That judge may also work with a federal judge overseeing the MDL to further help move the cases along in an efficient manner.

A class action lawsuit for a drug injury often involves warranty claims where customers paid money for a product that did not work as intended, or claims which are common to all class members like negligence or product liability claims for defects. These are often referred to as a “bad drug class action” or “bad drug lawsuit”.

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WHAT BAD DRUG CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS ARE THERE?

There are a few websites which market to give information on pending or possible upcoming bad drug lawsuits. Some of these include Top Class Action Lawyers, DrugWatch, TopClassActions, or ClassAction. Many of the marketing websites are not actually law firms and are just advertisers who may try and sell leads to law firms around Canada or who may have law firms pay for advertising on their websites.

We are an actual class action law firm who handles pharmaceutical litigation. If you or a family member had serious side effects from a medication, we may be able to assist you to see if you qualify for compensation.

WHAT MAKES ANDREW & MERILYN ASSOCIATES DIFFERENT TO HANDLE YOUR DRUG INJURY LAWSUIT CASE?

$Millions Recovered in Product Liability Claims
AV-Preeminent Peer Review Rated By Martindale-Hubbell
No Fee Guarantee – No Fees Or Costs Unless We Win

REVIEWS OF OUR Toronto PRODUCT LIABILITY LAWYERS

“Mr. Adam Weiner and staff handled my case as if it was their own. Their care and patience and knowledge was on point. As mine was a difficult case Adam made sure he pushed till the job was done. Wonderful results. Would work with them again if needed.” B.M.

“Mr. Adam Weiner and his staff are amazing! They answered all of my questions and called me back promptly. Their customer service is simply the best. You are treated with courtesy and respect. Thanks to their professionalism and hard work, they got me a settlement that I was not expecting.” D.M.

“You’re the man bro! God bless you always! Love u man!” S.G.

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DRUG INJURY CLAIMS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION

The drug injury lawyers at the Andrew & Merilyn Associates are currently investigating the following medications. This list may not be completely up to date, as the list may change over time. If you want to see if you may qualify for compensation for a drug injury, contact the Toronto drug injury lawyer at the Andrew & Merilyn Associates today for a free consultation.

Zantac Lawsuit – We are investigating cancer claims for patients who took Zantac by prescription or over the counter. A recall was issued and cited “possible contamination with a nitrosamine impurity called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).” If you were diagnosed with cancer and were taking Zantac, you may be entitled to compensation.

Tasigna Lawsuit – Leukemia drug Tasigna (nilotinib) may be linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. If you or a loved one had a stroke while taking Tasigna, you may be entitled to compensation. A Tasigna lawsuit can be filed and may get consolidated into the Tasigna MDL in Florida.

Elmiron Lawsuit –If you suffer from maculopathy or partial blindness after taking Elmiron, you may qualify for compensation. Numerous Elmiron lawsuits were filed against Janssen Pharmaceuticals alleging a link between Elmiron and Maculopathy.

DRUG INJURY ATTORNEYS SERVING Toronto

Our Toronto product liability lawyer handles bad drug lawsuit cases throughout the US. If you or a loved one had a heart attack, stroke, blindness, amputation, developed cancer, or worse, you may be entitled to compensation. Call us for a free consultation at (647) 953-1844 or chat with us on our website. We want to help fight for your rights to get you the compensation you deserve.