Increased risk of wrongful death blamed on Trasylol drug

Anneke Kurt — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:40:33 GMT

A recent Canadian study showed that the drug Trasylol, used during heart surgeries to control bleeding, could cause an increased risk for wrongful death, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp., the makers of Trasylol, have suspended sales and will slowly pull the drug off of shelves. Our Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys see the overwhelming effects that personal injury or wrongful death resulting from prescription drugs have on families, and encourage patients to ask their doctors questions and know what drugs they are taking before, during and after any surgery.

The following is an excerpt from the Food and Drug Administration website:

There are not many treatment options for patients at risk for excessive bleeding during cardiac surgery. Thus, FDA is working with Bayer to phase Trasylol out of the marketplace in a way that does not cause shortages of other drugs used for this purpose.
Until FDA can review the data from the terminated study it is not possible to determine and identify a population of patients undergoing cardiac surgery for which the benefits of Trasylol outweigh the risks. Understanding that individual doctors may identify specific cases where benefit outweighs risk, FDA is committed to exploring ways for those doctors to have continued, limited access to Trasylol.
Two weeks ago, FDA was notified that researchers with the Ottawa Health Institute stopped a study on Trasylol because the drug appeared to increase the risk for death compared to two other antifibrinolytic drugs used in the study. Antifibrinolytic drugs help slow the breakdown of blood clots and subsequent excessive bleeding. The preliminary data from this terminated study also suggested that fewer patients receiving the drug experienced serious bleeding events.
On Oct. 26, FDA issued an Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review of Trasylol in response to the Canadian study's termination. In 2006, FDA revised the labeling for Trasylol to strengthen its safety warning and limit its approved usage to patients at an increased risk for blood loss and blood transfusion during coronary bypass graft surgery.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Anneke Kurt

Prescription drug mistakes can cause wrongful death

Anneke Kurt — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:47:16 GMT

Patients taking prescription drugs should watch out for more than just side effects. More and more patients have been given the wrong prescriptions at the pharmacy even though doctors have prescribed the correct drug in the doctor's office. These prescription mistakes are seen by our Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys and could result in personal injury or wrongful death.

Approximately 30 million out of every 3 billion prescriptions are dispensed incorrectly, according to the National Patient Safety Foundation. While some of these mistakes are easily caught and don't cause much harm to the patient, others can cause serious personal injury. Recently, a pregnant woman from St. Louis, Missouri was given a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease at the local Walgreens pharmacy, when it was prenatal vitamins that her doctor had prescribed, according to CNN.com. The woman miscarried due to complications from the wrong medication.

When picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy, don't be afraid to ask the pharmacist questions. Know the exact name of the drug you were prescribed, and double check the bottle before leaving the store. Opening up the bottle and showing the pharmacist the medication is a good way to check twice to make sure you received the proper drug, and always follow the directions of the doctors, pharmacists and dosage instructions, once you have made sure that it is the correct medication.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Anneke Kurt

Toledo Personal Injury Lawyer - Medical Malpractice

Increased risk of wrongful death blamed on Trasylol drug

Prescription drug mistakes can cause wrongful death