Our personal injury law firm is now investigating two separate fentanyl patch overdose death cases, both coincidentally occuring in North Carolina, and both involving the 75 mcg/hr dose patch (patches have 25, 50, 75, and 100 mcg/hr dosages). In accepting one of the cases, where a 35 year old married accountant died on her couch after applying a pain patch, I have promised her husband/widower that our law firm will get to the bottom of how this intelligent young woman, with abdominal pain of several weeks, could have overdosed and died from wearing a fentanyl patch prescribed by her doctor for abdominal pain.
[Update Spring 2011: there have been numerous additional accidental fentanyl pain patch overdose accidental deaths in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and nationwide, but many such deaths occur and are not confirmed due to lack of autopsy…please read more below and in other linked articles]
Questions involving fentanyl patches that our law firm is investigating:
1. Since fentanyl is 81 times stronger than morphine drop for drop, why is this potent drug prescribed for a patient to handle at home, when so many patients have died from overdoses in the last several years?
2. Several recalls have occured and the FDA has issued a Public Health Advisory citing reports of deaths in patients using the fentanyl patch.
3. A number of drug manufacturers of time-release fentanyl patches have already seen sued over allegations of defective product claims as well as other claims. One of the claims is that a malfunction of the patches caused an overdose of fentanyl gel to leak and to be absorbed by patients, resulting in life-threatening side effects and even death. Manufacturers of fentanyl transdermal pain patches have voluntarily recalled numerous lots of their patches and the FDA has issued Public Health Advisories related to the fentanyl patch dangers. Manufacturers affected include Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P.; Alza Corporation; Actavis South Atlantic, LLC; Sandoz; Cephalon, Inc. and Mylan.
4. Proper instructions of hospital staff/nurses: we are investigating the precise instructions that are provided to a patient when discharged from the hospital about how to change and handle the patch.
5. Dosage/Medication prescribed: given the powerful effects of fentanyl, and the known overdose dangers, why would any physician prescribe a significant dose of fentanyl, in a patch, when safer, alternative pain medications do not have nearly the high risks of death and overdose?
Fentanyl is so dangerous and potentially fatal, that it poses a major public health and safety issue that I plan to address in continuing articles on Injuryboard. The solutions may be that fentanyl should not be prescribed outside the hospital setting unless strict safeguards are followed. Presently, the warnings and the prescribing of this drug to patients for home use are simply far too loose and the FDA needs to restrict this drug’s use far more radically.
Other Injuryboard colleagues have discussed the dangers of fentanyl in articles entitled: FDA Issues Second Warning About Fentanyl Skin Patch and in FDA Warns About Fentanyl Again.
Updated February 2011:
Fentanyl Pain Patches are Dangerous Drugs | Shapiro, Cooper Lewis …
Fentanyl/Duragesic: Exposing the Truth About the Pain Patch of …
After fentanyl overdose death of Amanda Bussard, mother can find …
Fentanyl/Duragesic Pain Patch Is Dangerous and Leads to Loss of …
Fentanyl Patch Drug Associated with Overdoses & Death Claims …
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including dangerous drugs, car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases. The firm’s website is: www.hsinjurylaw.com , and the firm edits two injury law blogs: Virginia Beach Injuryboard & Norfolk Injuryboard.
![Richard Shapiro Richard Shapiro](https://www.legalexaminer.com/wp-content/tle_uploads/rs@thumbnail.jpg)
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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