In the United States, the drug industry generates a lot of revenue and therefore holds a great deal of power. According to the Food and Drug Administration, a staggering three billion prescriptions for medications are written each year in a country of just 323 million people. While much of this prescribing is done with good intentions and is indeed beneficial, it’s no secret that prescription drugs have been allowed to proliferate very rapidly. Drug approval “fast tracks” like the 501(K) approval process allow certain medications to be rushed onto the market without adequate testing, for example.

Moreover, regulatory gaps and insufficient long-term research enable drugs with potentially dangerous side-effects to remain on the market for many years. Drug representatives must also share a portion of the blame: An international study of doctors published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine revealed that 59 percent of drug representatives neglected to disclose the side effects of the medications they were representing to doctors.

Unsurprisingly, the loopholes described above have created a system wherein over 4 million adverse reactions to drugs occur every year (with 117,000 of these requiring hospitalization). What’s more, many common medications, such as Zofran and a wide range of antidepressants (i.e., Celexa®, Lexapro®, Luvox®, Paxil®, Prozac®, Symbyax®, and Zoloft®), have been shown to cause birth defects. Even medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and acid reflux have been associated with potentially lethal side effects. (E.g., heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, kidney problems, osteoporosis, pancreatitis, thyroid cancer, and pancreatic cancer). By holding the drug industry accountable,

Moynahan Law Firm helps to both bring justice to injured persons and draw attention to the need for stricter regulatory standards. Attorney Tim Moynahan believes in creating a safer patient experience for everyone.