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As patients, we usually assume that when a doctor prescribes drugs they have been carefully tested. Developing drugs to alleviate or cure certain conditions is a tricky business. Many medications actually can increase problems rather than solving them; others may cause not only horrible side effects, but death. Plaintiffs argue that drug manufacturers failed in their duty to provide safe drugs to consumers and make potential health risks clear to consumers. They may also allege that the manufacturer knew about the the risks for years, yet did not change the drug label to warn consumers about potential risks associated with taking their drug.

According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, close to 51% of FDA-approved drugs have serious adverse effects not detected prior to approval. How does this happen if by law, U.S. pharmaceutical companies must buy from certified manufacturing plants only? The problem is that certification is only at the last stage; there is no guarantee that all chemicals are good. In fact, pharmaceutical industry experts in China admit that with so many ingredients up to 25% of those purchased in China come from unknown sources. Scary thought, isn’t it? Alarmingly, China is now the largest supplier of pharmaceutical chemicals, actually hundreds of tons annually to the world, mainly for generic drugs.

So, what is the FDA doing to ensure our safety and is it enough? It has established an office in China to investigate plants that export to the U.S. Sounds like a good plan, right? Problem is, it can only assess one site every 13 years. No need to re-read that statement; it is not a typo either. 13 years! Needless to say, the FDA continues to fail. Folks, this is truly a growing concern. Do you see the potential for a large scale catastrophe in the U.S.?

The list of drugs with serious or deadly side effects grows longer every year. More troubling is when the pharmaceutical companies ignore or deny facts concerning their drugs, which if true resulted in a gross display of negligence. Making a mistake is bad business; however refusing to face the facts and at least warn consumers about the risks associated with a product is a shameful display of apathy towards the well-being of the general public.

We count on the FDA to oversee food, drugs, medical devices, vaccines, cosmetics, radiation emitting products, and tobacco products, but that is not enough. Unless the FDA and pharmaceutical companies

How can you determine if you are dealing with a bad drug? Here are the early warning signs:

1. The drug has been recalled or given a black box warning which means serious side effects.

2. The drug is in litigation with numerous lawsuits against the drug company.

3. The drug has been banned in other countries.

This is by no means a complete list of problem medications. There are thousands of drugs on the market with adverse side effects and major problems for the consumer. Ask your pharmacist for a list of side effects on every script you order. Check the drugs on the internet before you take the first dose.

Throughout history, our government has had no qualms about playing Russian roulette with our lives. Do your own research and take personal responsibility for your own healthcare. In today’s society, we must be our own best advocates. Lawsuit Financial supports all efforts to hold drug companies responsible for producing safe products and warning about dangerous ones.

Mark Bello has thirty-three years experience as a trial lawyer and twelve years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide legal finance cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed by plaintiffs involved in pending, personal injury litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Business Associate of the Florida, Tennessee, and Colorado Associations for Justice, a member of the American Bar Association as well as their ABA Advisory Committee, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.

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