Some of the major side effects associated with pharmaceutical drugs can include heart attack, heart disease, stroke, nervous system damage, liver disease, kidney damage, and even death. These dangerous side effects can cause long-term pain and suffering, often preventing the victim from returning to work, living a healthy life, or participating in normal, everyday activities. Some birth injuries related to the use of pharmaceutical drugs, like certain neural tube birth defects, are so catastrophic that children with these defects will require life-long medical attention. Victims of defective drug injuries will likely require extensive treatment, sometimes in the form of physical therapy, multiple surgeries, or long-term medical care. The medical expenses for these treatments will be costly, especially if the victim does not receive any compensation for these injuries, as from a defective drug lawsuit. For example, the U.S. Center for Disease Control has estimated that the hospital costs actually charged to parents for treating children with birth defects surpasses $2.5 billion each year, the bill reflecting the length of time the child was required to remain in the hospital while necessary surgeries were performed. The average cost per treated child was a shocking $18,600.
Most people expect the products that are made available to us on a daily basis to be safe and not likely to cause us any harm when used in the capacity for which they are intended. These products serve a range of purposes, from children’s toys to prosthetic devices like artificial hip implants. Product manufacturing companies are responsible for the safety of their products, before and after they are made available to the public. Before a new product can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it must undergo numerous clinical trials to ensure its safety in everyday use. Unfortunately, some manufacturing companies conceal the dangers associated with their product in order to expedite FDA approval. Others have discovered a loophole in the process, which allows certain products to enter the market without undergoing testing as long as the product resembles a similar product already on the market.
