(Photo credit: Brandon Giesbrecht/Flickr)
Every person’s body reacts to a drug differently. While one drug may be a great help to one person, it could cause a severe reaction in another person’s body. Adverse reactions may result in not as serious symptoms, such as dizziness, or in more extreme cases, reactions could lead to death.
A Canadian study analyzing the rates of adverse events in Canadian hospitals discovered that issues with medicine accounted for 45 per cent (162 out of 360) of all adverse events in 2000.
A recent Canadian Paediatric Adverse Events study found that in looking at a distribution of adverse events among children, drug-related issues accounted for 13.5 per cent of overall events. Children between the age of one to five had more incidents of drug-related adverse events compared to other age groups, especially in academic paediatric centres. While in large community hospitals, children between the age of five to 18 experienced more of this type of adverse events.
Last December, Canada introduced new drug legislation to curb deadly issues caused by drug prescriptions. But there are currently multiple lawsuits underway related to fatal reactions to drugs.
A Canadian family recently launched a lawsuit against Boehringer Ingelheim, the pharmaceutical company that produced Pradaxa, a blood thinner which is used for patients with an irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation). The family’s grandmother passed away after she suffered from excessive bleeding from her mouth, intestines and brain, which has no antidote for the condition, according to CTV News. The family’s case is among one of four other lawsuits and the drug is related to 281 deaths. To find out more information about any medication you’ve been prescribed , you can visit Health Canada’s Adverse Drug Reaction database.
A Toronto Star investigation found that within the last ten years, there are about 600 cases, and possibly more, children who have suffered from fatal side effects that could have been caused by ADHD medication. Their investigation discovered deadly side effects, including suicidal thoughts, amnesia, cerebral hemorrhage and a life-threatening skin disorder.
While the U.S. federal court has recently ordered Takeda Pharmaceutical, a Japanese pharmaceutical company that produced Actos diabetes medicine, to pay $9 billion in punitive damages in a groundbreaking trial that found the company hid the drug’s cancer risk. This ruling comes after a former Actos user was awarded $1.5 million in compensation after he sued the company for its drug’s role in his bladder cancer.
Medical malpractice can also include errors during surgery and misdiagnosis.
If you’ve been injured by negligence by a doctor or healthcare worker, you can be compensated. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been handling all types of injuries for over 40 years including injuries from medical malpractice. We understand the impacts injuries can have on your life and we know how to help you. Call us at 416-920-4242. Set up a free consultation and come talk with us.