Whether in Ohio or elsewhere, oven one instance of a fatal drug complication is too many, but 10? Recent pharmaceutical litigation filed in federal court involves an anti-psychotic medication still available by prescription. According to the complaint, when administered in combination with another medication, the resultant drug cocktail can prove deadly.
According to the claim, the anti-psychotic prescription drug quetiapine, taken at the same time as methadone, may have caused the death of nearly a dozen individuals. Per reports, in 2009, a total of 10 patients who were on methadone passed away. The single commonality in all of the cases appears to be that the individuals were also taking Seroquel, the brand name of quetiapine.
Seroquel’s manufacturer, AstraZeneca, is named as defendant in the suit, which is being brought on behalf of 27 states as well as the U.S. government. It is alleged that AstraZeneca had been aware for years of the risk of abnormal hearth rhythm when the two drugs are taken together. Despite this, the lawsuits claims, the company did not warn the public of this danger until 2010 and thus is complicit in the deaths of the patients.
Prescription drug injuries or fatalities can be especially upsetting, as a number of individuals rely on daily medications for their physical well-being and mental health. Most people trust in the Food and Drug Administration and their doctors, pharmacists and other health care providers to keep them safe; it’s alarming to discover that this trust could be misplaced. Those in Ohio who have suffered drug injuries or even lost a loved one to Seroquel or another prescription medication do not have to suffer alone; there are Cleveland-area professionals whose knowledge of pharmaceutical litigation can prove invaluable in the fight for just compensation.
Source: insurancebusinessmag.com, “Lawsuit claims fatal medication was given to 10 patients“, Lyle Adriano, Dec. 14, 2017
