Richard Harris | Injury Law Blog » Drug Injuries

CDC Fights Back against Prescription Drug Abuse and Overdose

Keith — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:24:06 +0000

January 20, 2012

In an effort to combat the growing problem of prescription drug abuse and overdoses, the federal government has implemented several new programs targeted at better education for parents, while better monitoring the countries supply and demand of drug’s with potential for abuse.

8 News Now reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is teaching parents with a new program to keep all medications put away and out of reach of young children. The program comes at a time when estimates say that one in every 150 toddlers will visit the ER because of an accidental overdose. Some experts say that the problem could grow as much as 20 percent in coming years. This is why they suggest:

Never tell a child medicine is candy.
Ask visitors and guests to keep medications put up.
Keep medication in a locked cabinet—never in a child’s reach.
Teach children about drug safety at an early age.
Always have the number for Poison Control on-hand.

In addition to the campaign, the CDC also has begun using a national database to monitor the consumption of potentially abused drugs. Now, doctors, pharmacists, and law enforcement can track prescriptions being written and filled by doctors and patients.

The Las Vegas Drug Injury Lawyers with the Richard Harris Law Firm are here to help if you have been harmed by a medication at no fault of your own.

Bill Requires Hospitals To Report Medical Mistakes

Keith — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:38:08 +0000

June 3, 2011

A bill created to allow greater transparency in the Nevada healthcare system was passed by the Nevada Senate recently. The law will allow the public to see each hospital’s rate of unexpected medical outcomes such as patient infections, physical injuries, and deaths. Current law only requires these numbers to be presented as a total. The breakdown of these numbers will give Nevadans a way to make a more informed decision on where they choose to receive their healthcare.

The bill comes as an indirect result of an eye-opening story by The Las Vegas Sun last year exposing the many infections or injuries that were caused or could have been prevented by hospitals in the Las Vegas area.

Two investigative journalists went through a years worth of files and reports from each of the Las Vegas area’s hospitals-2.9 million case files in all. They broke down the causes and results of each case and found 969 examples of individuals who were harmed while being treated in a medical facility. From botched surgeries to sheer negligence and not checking-in on patients, every imaginable, and unimaginable, kind of mistake was exposed in case profiles.

See the Full Report here.

The report by The Sun may save thousands of individuals from suffering at the hand of medical facilities, but many have been affected already. If you suffered from injuries or infections caused by a doctor or hospital, contact a Las Vegas Medical Malpractice Attorney with The Richard Harris Law Firm. Receive a FREE Consultation here.

$99 million in punitive damages awarded in Nevada drug injury case

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:32:24 +0000

October 16, 2007

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that jurors have awarded $99 million in punitive damages in the Nevada drug injury case against pharmaceutical giant Wyeth. The three drug injury victims claimed that the hormone replacement drugs created by Wyeth caused them to develop breast cancer.

A Wyeth lawyer said the decision would be appealed, saying the decision is inconsistent with other drug injury cases involving hormone therapy. The Nevada drug injuries were the result of Premarin and Prempro, hormone therapies aimed at easing the symptoms of menopause.

Wyeth ordered to pay more than $120 million in Nevada drug injury lawsuit

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:18:45 +0000

October 12, 2007

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that pharmaceutical giant Wyeth was ordered to pay over $43 million each to three Nevada women whose lawsuit claimed the drugs caused them to develop breast cancer. The company was found guilty of negligence in producing, marketing, and selling the drug and is involved in more than 5,000 drug injury lawsuits involving close to 7,900 women across the country.

Of the 18 suits set for trial and resolved to date, 15 were in Wyeth’s favor according to the company’s information. Two were settled and one was in the plaintiff’s favor. The lawyers of the three Nevada drug injury victims said last month that there have been at least three jury verdicts against Wyeth resulting in damages over $1 million.

The jury will deliberate Friday on whether or not Wyeth will also be required to pay punitive damages.

Jury deliberates Tuesday about the connection of drugs to cancer in Nevada women

admin — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:50:46 +0000

October 9, 2007

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that jurors began deliberating Tuesday morning about whether or not Wyeth, the pharmaceutical giant responsible for making Premarin and Prempro—hormone replacement drugs, is also responsible for the breast cancer three women developed after taking these drugs.

The jury must also decide whether or not Wyeth failed to adequately test these drugs before putting them in the hands of doctors and patients, causing Nevada drug injuries. On one side, lawyers say the company failed to properly warn women of the risk involved in taking these drugs, and on the other, Wyeth lawyers argue that the breast cancer in each woman is different and can’t be conclusively linked to the hormone replacement drugs.

Doctor stands up for women in Nevada drug injury lawsuit

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:57:51 +0000

In a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Wyeth for manufacturing drugs, a doctor of a woman suing is standing up against the company, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The drugs increased the risks for breast cancer when they were meant to ease the symptoms of menopause. Three women in the drug injury lawsuit are claiming that the drugs produced by Wyeth caused their breast cancers. They claim Wyeth is liable for their Nevada drug injuries because the company failed to test the drugs properly and offer adequate warnings about the risks.