Practice Area Overview

At Langdon & Emison, we believe in corporate responsibility and accountability.  We represent clients who have suffered a catastrophic injury or suffered the loss of a loved one due to the use of a dangerous or defective drug.  Our mission is to hold drug and pharmaceutical companies responsible in order to (1) prevent similar harm to others and (2) provide our clients the compensation they are entitled to.

A number of dangerous drugs currently on the market have been linked to serious debilitating conditions resulting from side effects of the drugs' use.  With dozens of pharmaceutical companies all manufacturing their own versions of the drugs, a dizzying array of dangers await the unsuspecting doctor or consumer.  Below is a partial list of drugs behind the claims we are currently investigating or pursuing on behalf of injured clients.  See our Resources page for further information on dangerous drugs that have been recently taken off the market or are still occupying space on the shelves at your local pharmacy.

• Avandia -- Avandia is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes by reducing the body's resistance to insulin.  However, studies have shown that Avandia significantly increases the risk of heart attack and heart-related deaths.  More than 6 million Americans have taken Avandia in the past eight years.

• Atypical Anti-Psychotic Drugs  --  There are a number of second generation, or atypical, antipsychotic drugs on the market today.  These drugs include Zyprexa (Eli Lilly & Co.), Seroquel (AstraZeneca), and Risperdal (Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson).  Atypical antipsychotic drugs were designed to treat ailments like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, but have been marketed and used extensively for "off-label" purposes.  These drugs have serious side effects including tardive dyskinesia, hyperglycemia, diabetes, pancreatitis, and heart attack.  Twenty-six (26) states have formed a joint effort against these products.

• Cox-2 Inhibitors -- These drugs are a form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and include Bextra (Pfizer, Inc.), Celebrex (Pfizer, Inc.), Arcoxia (Merck), Mobic (Boehringer-Ingelheim), and Vioxx (Merck).  These drugs have serious side effects including heart attack, stroke, skin disorders and kidney failure.

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) -- These anti-depressants include Celexa (Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), Fluvoxamine (Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), Lexapro (Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), Paxil (GlaxoSmithKline), Prozac (Eli Lilly & Co.), Serzone (Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.) and Zoloft (Pfizer, Inc.).  The side effects of these drugs include serotonin syndrome, infants born with persistent pulmonary hypertension and increased suicidal thinking.

• Digitak Digoxin  --  This medication is manufactured by Actavis Totowa LLC and is prescribed to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythm.  However, this drug can cause digitalis toxicity in patients with renal failure, resulting in nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure and cardiac instability.

• Fosamax  --  Merck manufactures this bisphosphonate drug for osteoporosis treatment.  Other similar drugs include Actonel (Proctor & Gamble), Boneva (GlaxoSmithKline), Zometa (Novartis) and Aredia (Novartis).  These drugs can cause severe musculoskeletal pain and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ).  On January 7, 2008, the FDA warned that Fosamax had been linked to severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint and muscle pain.

• Fentanyl Transdermal (Skin) Patch  --  Makers include the Duragesic patch (by Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson) and various makers of generic versions of the patch.  These patches can deliver deadly quantities of the drug if the patch is cut or damaged.

• Ketek -- This antibiotic manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis is used to treat respiratory infections including chronic bronchitis, acute bacterial sinusitis and community acquired pneumonia.  Side effects include severe liver injury, hepatitis and liver failure.

• Gadolinium Based Contrast Agents (GDBAs)  --  These drugs, including Mangevist, MultiHance, Omniscan, OptiMark and ProHance, are used as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs).  Their side effects include a possible link with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), which is being pursued by Attorneys General in several states.

• Byetta -- This drug, manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, is an injectible drug for Type 2 diabetes.  Byetta is an incretin mimetic drug that is used to regulate blood glucose.  However, this drug has been linked to pancreatitis injury and death.

• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Products  --  These drugs, including PremPro (Wyeth), are designed to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness.  Side effects of PremPro include increased risk for cancer, stroke, heart attack and blood clots.

• Trasylol -- This drug, manufactured by Bayer, is an antifibrinolytic agent used during cardiac surgery to reduce the risk of blood transfusions.  However, this drug resulted in an increased risk of kidney damage and death and was pulled from the market in 2007.

• Yaz / Yasmin / Ocella -- Yaz and Yasmin are birth control pills manufactured by Bayer Healthcare and its generic form, Ocella, is marketed and distributed by Barr Laboratories, Inc. The drugs contain a "fourth generation" progestin - drospirenone – that is found in no other birth control pills. Drospirenone has been linked to several serious side effects. Yaz side effects include blood clots, stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and even death.

• Zelnorm -- This drug, manufactured by Novartis, is used for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in women.  Side effects include stroke, heart attack and ischemic colitis.

Our firm has the ability and financial strength to successfully take on the largest corporations in the world, including the largest pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturers.  Our attorneys have recovered verdicts and settlements totaling over half a billion dollars on behalf of our clients.  If you have suffered a serious injury or have lost a  loved one due to a dangerous or defective drug, Contact Langdon & Emison by e-mail or call (800) 397-4910 for a free initial consultation.