Fairfield Pharmaceutical Products Law Blog

Patients in Fairfield, Connecticut, certainly deserve to be made aware of any side effects they could experience after starting a new medication. Prescription drugs often pose health risks, but consumers deserve to know what these risks are so that they can make informed decisions when it comes to taking medications to treat their health conditions.

However, a recent safety alert issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also suggests that it is equally important for pharmaceutical companies, doctors and medical device manufacturers to give patients instructions on how to properly use, store and discard medications and medical devices. Last month, the FDA warned consumers that children could suffer serious injuries or death if they are accidentally exposed to fentanyl patches.

Any new parent in Fairfield, Connecticut, might tell you that one of the hardest things to watch is a newborn or infant getting his or her vaccinations during the child's first few checkups with a pediatrician. Some moms or dads might even admit to shedding a few tears of their own as they watched their babies cry and scream in pain. Fortunately, the little ones probably got over the pain rather quickly once they were back in their parents' arms, and a doctor might have even told parents to give their children a small dose of Tylenol to ease their discomfort from the vaccinations.

On April 14, 2010, a couple experienced this very situation that millions of other parents -- including those in Fairfield -- experience each year. They took their child to the pediatrician for his two-month checkup. The doctor confirmed that their son was healthy and developing normally. After examining the baby, the doctor gave the child routine vaccinations and prescribed Concentrated Tylenol Infants' Drops to help alleviate the baby's pain and other minor side effects from the shots. But instead of easing the child's discomfort, the Tylenol caused the child to suffer serious injuries that led to the child's wrongful death, the boy's parents now claim.

A recent dispute between the medical device maker St. Jude Medical and the medical journal HeartRhythm has highlighted some concerning issues that might give some Fairfield, Connecticut, residents reason to worry about their health and safety when using medical devices.

Last month, the journal published the results of a study online that compared the safety of St. Jude's Riata defibrillator leads to Medtronic's Quattro Secure leads. According to the study's author, information regarding the companies' implantable defibrillators was taken from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Manufacturers and User Facility Device Experience database.

This information revealed that St. Jude's Riata leads had been linked to causing more than 20 patients to suffer fatal injuries after the devices allegedly malfunctioned. According to researchers, only five deaths were linked to malfunctions in Medtronic's leads. However, St. Jude claims that it actually found more deaths linked to Medtronic's device.

A few months ago on our Fairfield pharmaceutical products law blog, we mentioned that several lawsuits had been filed against Triad Group and H&P Industries by individuals who suffered serious injuries after using contaminated medical wipes that had been manufactured by the companies. After an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it was discovered that the companies has distributed medical wipes that were possibly contaminated with dangerous bacteria to hospitals, medical clinics, stores and homes all across the U.S. and the world.

At least 11 lawsuits filed against the companies claim that the contaminated products have caused the wrongful death of a loved one or serious illnesses in other consumers who had used the medical wipes that were later recalled in January 2011. One of the lawsuits, which involved the death of a toddler, was finally settled last week. Although the parents of the 2-year-old boy did reach a settlement in their case, they said that more actions must be taken against Triad and H&P in order to truly hold these companies accountable for the injuries and deaths the companies have caused.