Thursday, January 21, 2010

Wrongful death case vs Wal-Mart

An Illinois woman has named Wal-Mart as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed over her husband’s fatal fentanyl overdose caused by a pain patch he received after a slip and fall at one of the company’s stores. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid pain killer that is often prescribed to patients suffering from chronic, severe pain. It is considered 100 times more powerful than heroine and over-exposure to the fentanyl gel contained in the patch can cause a fatal overdose. Problems with the fentanyl patch have been linked to hundreds of deaths since the brand name Duragesic patch was first introduced by Johnson & Johnson in 1994. The deaths have mostly occurred among those who either used the drug incorrectly or never should have received the powerful painkiller, but there have also been a number of fentanyl patch recalls issued due to various manufacturing defects which allowed the fentanyl gel to leak out of the patch and come into direct contact with the skin. Go here for the full story and links to more information.

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