Pharmaceutical Products
Product defects can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. Among the most dangerous defective products are pharmaceutical products. Pharmaceutical drugs are meant to help people overcome certain health issues. They are prescribed by certified physicians, and patients take them at the recommendation of these physicians. Patients generally do not have much say in the types of medication they are prescribed, so it is all-the-more troublesome when there is a defect in these drugs that causes harm to the patient.
Litigation surrounding defective drugs may involve several areas of law, including product liability law, medical malpractice law, and pharmaceutical law. The field most commonly associated with defective drugs is product liability law.
Types of Defects
There are three types of defects with pharmaceutical drugs: manufacturing defects, design defects, and marketing defects. Manufacturing defects include defects that occurred in the process of making the drug. This could be that the drug was contaminated during manufacturing or that the drug was improperly manufactured. Design defects deal with the side effects of the drug. If side effects cause serious harm to users, there may be a claim to file against the pharmaceutical company. Finally marketing defects deal with labels and promotion. If certain side effects are not mentioned in advertising or labeling of the drug, there may be grounds for a claim. Similarly, if the labeling and advertising practices do not adhere to the law surrounding pharmaceutical marketing, there may be a claim.
Who is Affected
Usually, those affected by defective drugs are the patients taking them. Because defective drugs affect such large masses of people, they are generally handled with class action lawsuits. Class action lawsuits are lawsuits where a group of people are represented by one attorney because the group or “class” has been wronged by the defendant in the same way. Product liability cases are often class action lawsuits because the same product harms many consumers in the same way. This is why defective drug cases are handled with class action lawsuits.
Defective Drug Lawyers
Lawyers with experience in class action lawsuits are the best-equipped for the job. Large companies have teams of lawyers with years of experience defending them, so hiring the right defective product lawyer is crucial to winning the case. If you or a loved one have been affected adversely by defective pharmaceutical drugs, call Zimmerman Law Offices. The attorneys at Zimmerman Law Offices have a proven track record of successfully recovering over $200 million in verdicts and settlements, including claims against pharmaceutical manufacturers.
