Pharmacy Errors

State Supreme Court Allows Prescription-Drug Abuse Case to Proceed Against Several Medical Professionals

Published on: June 10, 2015 | Dean Law Firm, LLC

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of West Virginia decided an interesting case that may influence the way Florida courts interpret a pressing legal issue in the State. In the case of Tug Valley Pharmacy, LLC v. All Plaintiffs Below, a group of 29 plaintiffs banded together to sue three pharmacists and one physician, alleging that the medication they received from the defendants led them to become addicted to and abuse controlled substances.

The Case at Trial

The group of plaintiffs claimed that the defendants provided them with prescriptions for certain medications, namely oxycodone, xanax, and Lortab, which furthered their addictions and ultimately led them into criminal behavior, including possession, distribution, fraud, misrepresentation, and doctor-shopping. Most of the plaintiffs admitted to using prescription drugs recreationally prior to receiving the prescription from the defendant doctors.

Specifically, the plaintiffs claimed that the defendants were aware of and perpetuated the “pill mill” activities of medical providers, such as refilling prescriptions too early, filling prescriptions for large amounts of medication, providing contradicting medication to the same patient, and providing medications that are known to work together to provide a “better high.”

Walgreen’s Pharmacy Facing Several Claims of Pharmacy Errors

Published on: May 18, 2015 | Dean Law Firm, LLC

Earlier this month, a Fox News affiliate posted an article discussing pharmacy errors in general but also covering the fact that the nationwide drugstore chain, Walgreen’s, has currently had several claims made against it alleging the negligence of pharmacy personnel. According to the report, there have been two recent accusations that Walgreen’s provided the wrong drug to pharmacy patients.

In the first instance, a mother went to pick up what she believed was her son’s allergy medication. However, instead of the allergy medicine, the filling pharmacist provided the boy’s mother with a strong anti-psychotic medication. The woman gave her son two doses of the medicine and then noticed the ill effects of the medication. Her son could not talk or breathe. She took him to the hospital where the error was discovered. and hospital staff told the woman that she likely would have lost her son had she given him one more dose.

The second alleged error took place when a 15-year-old girl went to fill her prescription for antibiotics. However, instead of antibiotics she was provided Olanzapine, a medicine used to treat schizophrenia. The girl told reporters that her heart started racing, and she started to get blurred vision. Thankfully, she was treated at the hospital and made a full recovery.

New Report Finds Pharmacy Errors Increasing at an Alarming Rate in Florida and Nationwide

Published on: March 19, 2015 | Dean Law Firm, LLC

When a pharmacy customer goes to their local pharmacy to get a prescription filled, they assume that the medication they are being provided by the pharmacy is the same one that their doctor prescribed. However, according to a recent news article, the rate of error in pharmacies has recently gone up, and continues to do so at an alarming rate.

According to a recent report by CBS Miami, patients have been noticing that they are being provided different medications, incorrect doses, or the wrong number of pills when they go to get their prescriptions refilled. The report illustrated as examples three recent situations where a local pharmacist provided his or her patient with the wrong medication:

In one instance, allergy medication was provided to a patient who had actually been prescribed blood-pressure medicine;
In another case, the patient received acid-reflux medication instead of the depression medication he had been prescribed; and
In a third report, an arthritis medication was provided to a patient who in actuality needed seizure medication.