FENTANYL PATCHES RECALLED DUE TO INJURY—CALL BAY AREA ATTORNEYS NOW
A defective product lawsuit is one in which the manufacturer produces a line of products and one or several of them are different from the others, and that difference causes injury to someone. For example, a bicycle would be a product, and a defective bicycle could be if your particular bike has the misshapen screws in it. However, unless you sustain an injury from those manufacturer defects, you are unlikely to recover damages for it. If you go tumbling off your bike because the screws came undone and a wheel fell off, and you sustained a broken arm as a result of that, then you may recover damages for that broken arm.
Duragesic pain patches are manufactured by Alza Corporation and Janssen Pharmaceutica, both Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries. These pain patches contain a medication called fentanyl, which is contained in a small reservoir and released in a steady dose over a three day period. Between 2004 and now, there have been recalls of the product because of its unsafe use. It was found that in many cases, there was a break in the seal of the patch and the fentanyl was released into the patient’s body in very high doses, often resulting in death. Another defect of these patches may also occur when the controlling membrane which releases the medicine malfunctions.
There have been several lawsuits between 2007 and 2008, the most recent of which was for a family of a woman in Cicero, Illinois. She died while wearing a defective fentanyl pain patch. The jury came back with their verdict in December, 2008 in which they found that the two Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries were liable for her death and awarded the family over $16 million.
If you or a family member has been injured by a fentanyl transdermal pain patch, you need to contact an attorney as soon as possible. The statute of limitations (the time within which you must file a lawsuit to recover damages) may already be running. Call Greenberg and Rudman LLP now at 1-800-252-9776 (1-800-ALAWPRO) for a free consultation with an experienced attorney and learn about your rights. Visit our website, www.alawpro.com to find out more about defective products and the fentanyl patch.
