In the slew of developing lawsuits naming Baxter’s drug Heparin, a blood thinning medication, the one involving James Bradley is particularly frightening primarily because the horrific results are more common than we might imagine. Bradley was prescribed Heparin in 2007, and soon after he developed bodily injuries, which resulted in the amputation of his toes. Bradley and his wife Shirley are now seeking compensation for the physical and emotional damage that he experienced as a result of using the drug.
Unfortunately, the Bradley case is one of many in which patients have had to undergo amputation as a result of the decay and disease caused by Heparin. The drug, as it turns out, is known to cause a severe blood platelet disorder, also known as thrombocytopenia, in which users develop gangrene. James and Shirley Bradley’s case claims that Baxter and other makers of Heparin are falsely marketing the drug as effective and safe to use. The suit also alleges that the drug is defectively designed.
In 2008, Heparin was pulled off the market in an official recall after the product was discovered to be contaminated with a counterfeit ingredient that was causing severe allergic reactions and even death amongst people who used it. Chinese manufacturers who make the product were busted for using a dangerous, spurious active ingredient that injured and killed hundreds of people. There are half a million Americans on dialysis using Heparin, and though the drug is labeled with a laundry list of the potentially dangerous side effects, there is no mention of possible amputation or death. Injured people looking for remediation of damage cause by taking the drug are filing more lawsuits against Baxter and other producers of heparin. Lawsuits like the one filed by James and Shirley Bradley will hopefully push the dangers of Heparin into the spotlight.
Related: Pharmaceutical Liability Attorney California
