When you take a medication your doctor prescribes, the last thing you expect is for it to do more harm than good. But, unfortunately, medications are not always as safe as they should be. In fact, some medications have been linked to serious health risks—including the risk of cancer.
Why do some medications cause cancer? Why do some pharmaceutical companies sell cancer-causing drugs? These are both important questions that have complicated answers. Ultimately, however, if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer linked to a medication, the most important thing to know is that you can—and should talk to a defective drug lawyer about your legal rights.
Why Do Some Medications Cause Cancer?
There are three main reasons why a medication might cause cancer. In most cases, a medication can present a cancer risk if: (i) the medication is manufactured with a cancer-causing substance; (ii) the medication is contaminated during the manufacturing or packaging process; or (iii) the medication develops carcinogenic properties as it sits on the shelf.
1. Medications Manufactured with Cancer-Causing Substances
Several chemicals and compounds are known to be either carcinogenic to humans or possibly carcinogenic to humans. But, scientists are also continuing to discover new potential sources of cancer on a regular basis. Both known and unknown carcinogens can—and do—find their way into all types of medications.
In some cases, pharmaceutical companies may determine that a drug’s cancer risk is outweighed by the benefits it can provide. In other cases, they may be driven by the desire to profit from a novel drug, and they may be willing to accept the risk of facing recalls and lawsuits because selling the drug will still be profitable in the end. In others still, drug companies may be entirely unaware—due to inadequate testing or for other reasons—that their drugs have the potential to cause cancer in the patients who take them.
2. Contamination of Medications Resulting in Cancer Risk
Contamination can also be the reason for medication-related cancer risks in some cases. For example, last year Merck & Co. issued a recall for its Januvia and Janumet diabetes medications after studies found that batches of the drugs were contaminated with nitrosamines. According to the Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Fourth Edition), “[n]itrosamines are considered to be strong carcinogens that may produce cancer in diverse organs and tissues including lung, brain, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach, esophagus, and nasal sinus.”
Contamination can occur during the manufacturing process, during the packaging process, or while medications are in transit or in storage. In this particular case, the contamination reportedly occurred during both manufacturing and storage. However, there are countless other examples, and contamination is a very real concern for patients who take all types of prescription drugs.
3. Developing Carcinogenic Properties on Pharmacy Shelves (or in Patients’ Bodies)
A few years ago, the UConn School of Pharmacy published an article titled, How Some Drugs Can Turn Into a Cancer-Causing Chemical in the Body. In the article, the author writes:
“[O]ver the past few years[,] the FDA has found excessive amounts of NDMA in several drugs for hypertension, diabetes and heartburn. As a result, the agency has initiated recalls to protect the public. These products were contaminated with NDMA during the manufacturing process. . . . Unfortunately for the buying public, emerging evidence suggests that NDMA can also be created as some pills sit on the store shelf or medicine cabinet, or even after the patient swallows it.”
NDMA, or N-nitrosodimethylamine, is classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explain, “[s]ome studies show that workers exposed to NDMA may have a greater chance of developing liver, stomach, bladder, and prostate cancer. Ingesting high levels of NDMA may lead to stomach and colorectal cancer. . . . [and a]nimals that ate NDMA developed liver, lung, kidney, and testicular cancers [in studies].” Thus, even if a medication does not present a cancer risk at the time of its manufacturing or stocking, it could still turn out to present a cancer risk in the future.
Why Do Some Pharmaceutical Companies Sell Cancer-Causing Drugs?
With these concerns in mind, why do some pharmaceutical companies sell cancer-causing drugs? As we said above, it’s complicated. Clearly, in some cases, drug companies are unaware that their drugs present cancer risks—though whether their ignorance is excusable is another question entirely.
In other cases, however, it is equally clear that pharmaceutical companies have ignored risks to patients. This includes risks for various forms of cancer. Pharmaceuticals are a trillion-dollar industry, and the financial incentive to ignore known risks is simply too great for some companies.
Asserting Your Legal Rights After a Medication-Related Cancer Diagnosis
If you or a loved one has received a medication-related cancer diagnosis (or a cancer diagnosis that may possibly be the result of a dangerous medication), you should talk to a defective drug lawyer promptly. Regardless of what the pharmaceutical company may or may not have known, you can—and should—seek just compensation. Product liability laws hold drug manufacturers strictly liable for selling defective medications, which means that patients and families can file claims regardless of a pharmaceutical company’s knowledge of a cancer risk (or lack thereof).
Patients and families who have medication-related cancer claims can seek just compensation for all of their financial and non-financial losses. As you may know already, these losses can be substantial. If you need to know more about your legal rights, contact us for a free consultation today.
Discuss Your Legal Rights with a Defective Drug Lawyer at Searcy Denney
At Searcy Denney, we represent patients and families in defective drug cases nationwide. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and you suspect that the diagnosis may be related to a dangerous medication, we strongly encourage you to get in touch. To arrange a free consultation, call 800-780-8607 or tell us how we can reach you online now.
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