As you probably already know, any drug can be dangerous to humans. Even over the counter drugs have injury risks, but these are usually minimal when people use the medicine correctly. Despite the dangers, many drugs have benefits that outweigh the risks in most cases. Blood thinners are good examples of risky drugs that can actually save lives.
Physicians prescribe blood thinners to prevent or treat certain health conditions such as atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis, to name just a few. Blood thinners can prevent clotting in these patients, which can complicate or worsen their conditions. While these medications can save the lives of patients with these conditions, they also carry serious injury risks.
What places these medications into the realm of defective drugs is that they can lead to uncontrolled bleeding. This means that even a minor cut could cause the patient to bleed out and die without intervention. Some blood thinner manufacturers have developed antidotes that a doctor can give the patient to restore clotting. Unfortunately, Xarelto has no antidote at all, and the antidote for Pradaxa has only been available for a few years.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers have a duty to put the safety of patients above all other considerations. If a drug is beneficial but still poses severe risks, the manufacturer must label the medicine in a way that informs physicians and patients of these risks. When manufacturers fail to do so, it turns a beneficial medication into a defective drug.
Patients in Tennessee who have concerns about using blood thinners should take their questions to a physician. An injury attorney is also a good resource, especially if injury or death has already occurred.
Source: ConsumerSafety.org, “Most Dangerous Drugs: Xarelto, Pradaxa and Other Blood Thinners,” Caitlin Hoff, accessed Feb. 23, 2018
