Dangerous Drugs and Medical Devices Class Actions
Drug and Medical Device Class Actions
Drugs and medical devices have the potential to improve and save lives. However, a contaminated, defective, or inappropriate drug can cause serious injuries. Patients rely upon the companies that manufacture and deliver the medications and medical devices to ensure the products are safe, effective and appropriate. When these corporations fail to take appropriate precautions, injured patients may have a legal cause of action.
Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP protects the rights of patients and consumers who have sustained injuries due to defective and harmful products. Our lawyers are based in California, Texas, and Puerto Rico and we partner with lawyers in jurisdictions nationwide to file pharmaceutical and medical product defect class action lawsuits.
FDA Approval and Recall Processes
A pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer must submit studies about its product to apply for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. The FDA does not test the product itself, but rather reviews the data presented by the manufacturer. During its pre-market analysis, the federal agency attempts to determine whether the benefits of the drug or device outweigh the risks and whether the product does what it claims. The company must also follow labeling requirements and accurately describe side effects, contraindications and risks associated with the product, as dictated by law and the FDA’s product-specific recommendations.
As with the approval process, the recall process is also primarily company-driven. The company may decide to recall a product that has been contaminated, such as a medication that contains bacteria or fungi, or because a side effect or risk factor is discovered after that product is taken to market. The FDA may strongly encourage recall of a dangerous product and usually seeks to notify the public, but rarely engages in the process of pulling defective products from the shelf.
In light of the FDA approval and recall processes, products currently on the market may cause serious damage. Furthermore, the damage may have already happened by the time the recall process begins.
The experienced legal team at Schneider Wallace remains up-to-date on medical studies and data that may indicate a problem with a pharmaceutical or medical device before that information is widely publicized. Our attorneys work continually to be prepared to take immediate action to protect patients from further harm.
File a Claim for Injuries Caused by a Harmful Medical Device or Pharmaceutical
Since a defective drug or medical device usually harms multiple patients before the problem is discovered, Schneider Wallace often brings defective medical product claims as mass actions, or on behalf of a group of clients. Injured patients in jurisdictions throughout the country can call our lawyers for assistance with products liability claims relating to dangerous drugs or medical devices.