Drug Injury : Liability, Analysis, and Prevention

If you are involved with the healthcare system, you know that drug-induced injury cases are as complex as they are common. While the injury to the patient might seem obvious, in reality that has very little effect on the course that the litigation will take. This makes it especially important to accurately evaluate the case. You'll want to be sure that the case you take on has merit and will prove economically sound for both you and your client. To successfully accomplish this, you need the knowledge of the pharmaceutical and drug manufacturing industry that the authors have carefully detailed in this book. Easy for the non-medical professional to follow, the book is divided into four useful sections. Part I deals with the pharmaceutical process, covering the liability of pharmaceutical companies, warning labels and clinical trials. Part II examines high-risk drug therapies that result in pharmaceutical litigation. You'll read about important litigation regarding drugs like Prozac, Accutane and Rezulin, as well as anabolic steroids, insulin and oral diabetic drugs, and more. Whether or not your case involves the drug cited you'll find that the theories applicable to one pharmaceutical case are often applicable to another. Part III looks at the professional pharmacist and malpractice claims. Finally, Part IV covers forensic and toxicological issues, particularly recreational drugs, drug testing, and pain equipotency. You'll find this text indispensable for the comprehensive information it provides for all those affiliated with the pharmaceutical industry. This third edition includes brand new chapters * The Pharmaceutical Drug Discovery and Development * Counterfeit Drugs * General Principles of Pharmacology * Search and Analysis of the Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System * Liability, Litigation, and Lessons in New Drug Development * Therapeutics, Risks, and Toxicity-Special Focus on Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia * Dangers of Opioids * Acute Adverse Drug Events in Critical Emergency Department and Intensive Care Units * HIV Pharmacotherapy and Its Complications * Fetal Drug Exposure * Nonscientific Uses and Illegal Marketing of Drugs and Dietary Supplements * Regulation of Pharmacy Practice * Pharmacist Malpractice and Liability * After-Hours Pharmacy Services, Medication Use and Safety in U.S. Hospitals * Postmortem Redistribution and Interpretation of Drug Levels

JAMES O'DONNELL is Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, New Mexico State University.