Personal Injury Law

$21 Million Dangerous Drug Verdict Awarded to Woman Scarred and Blinded by Sulindac

A federal jury has awarded Karen Bartlett $21 million for serious injuries she sustained from taking Sulindac, an anti-inflammatory medication. The defendant of this dangerous drug lawsuit is Mutual Pharmaceutical Co.

Bartlett began taking the drug in January 2005 for shoulder pain. She was hospitalized the following month because of a worsening rash that had developed on her face and the sensation of ?pebbles? in her throat and under her eyelids.

Bartlett was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, a potentially deadly skin disease that can burn off the skin. In addition to spending 112 days in five hospitals, Bartlett has had to undergo 12 eye surgeries, is now legally blind, sustained damaged her stomach, throat, and lungs, and has developed other permanent disabilities. It took the jury three days to determine that Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. should have known that Sulindac was unreasonably dangerous for use and was the cause of Bartlett?s personal injuries.

Drug manufacturers can be held liable for Chicago personal injury and wrongful death if their negligence or dangerous products harmed users. Other pharmaceutical drugs that have led to injury cases:

? Accutane
? Advair
? Cipro
? Fen Phen
? Avandia
? Fentanyl
? Gardasil
? Paxil
? Levaquin
? Tamiflu
? Ortho Evra
? Yaz birth control
? Vioxx
? Ortho Evra
? Prozac
? Zicam
? Xenical
? Zyprexa

There are drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration that have turned out to be dangerous drugs. There are also drugs recommended for off-label uses (not government-approved) that have ended up causing injuries or deaths. Cardiac arrest, liver damage, pulmonary damage, kidney damage, and wrongful death are just some of the catastrophic side effects that have occurred from someone taking a dangerous drug. A drug manufacturer may have concealed the dangers, failed to warn about the possible risks, or irresponsibly marketed the drug in a way that ended up being harmful.

NH woman blinded by drug wins $21M in lawsuit, AP/Google, September 8, 2010

Related Web Resources:
FDA

Sulindac, NIH.Gov

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on September 09, 2010 (boomark / email).