Many companies are playing roulette with your health. While Americans are pained over the rising price of life-saving drugs, there are companies that are putting the sanctity of the profession under question.
There are many cases filed against companies, especially pharma over the side effects of drugs. They ruffled the feathers of stakeholders and compelled people to question the role of the U.S government.
The blog lists out five companies that remained the talk of the town in 2020 for all wrong reasons. Without much ado, let’s begin.
1. Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim
The company caught the headlines for concealing the risks of Zantac, a popular heartburn drug. Studies suggest the drug is found to contain a carcinogenic chemical (ranitidine) in more than the permissible limit as stated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
The ranitidine when ingested converts into N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Even the WHO has reinforced that the NDMA is “clearly carcinogenic.”
The drug is alleged to cause different types of cancers, such as
- Breast Cancer
- Esophageal/Nasal/Throat Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
There are other side effects, including headache, fever, and nausea.
The drug was rolled out in 1981 and is commonly used for heartburn. In fact, it was the first to stamp $1 billion in sales. Yet the inaction of the FDA leaves people confused as to if there is life at disposal.
Many patients blame the company for playing with the lives of the people and filed a Zantac lawsuit to seek medical compensation. Many studies have supported the alleged claim, the agencies are yet mulling over what to do next.
2. Syngenta
The name behind the manufacturing of Paraquat, a herbicide. It is used to kill weeds and has a plethora of benefits for the soil and agricultural growth. That said, the US Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) warns, “ one sip can kill”.
The host country of the company, Switzerland banned the chemical long back. The US has permitted its use but with strict warnings and on conditions. Some scientists claim to have found a direct link between paraquat exposure and the onset of Parkinson’s disease. If you are one of the victims, file for a paraquat Parkinson’s lawsuit and get rightful compensation for the same.
3. Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences has been accused of withholding a safer version of Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF), the drug to treat hepatitis B. Known as Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF), the drug is found to increase the risk of kidney disease and bone injuries.
Reports suggest that the company concealed the risks knowingly to enjoy profiting from the patent. Many filed Tenofovir lawsuits but the company refuses to toe the line and continues to remain defiant up till now.
This is not the first time the company has found itself in controversy. In the past, it delayed the release of a safer HIV medicine, thus adding to the agony of the patients.
4. Boehringer Ingelheim
The company is facing the heat over a blood thinner, Pradaxa which is found responsible for severe internal bleeding. Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in 2010, reports confirm the death of more than 500 people after consuming the drug in 2011.
The families of the diseased and those affected by other side effects are dragging the company to Connecticut court. There are nearly 2,600 filed cases in 2018. The situation only gets grim as many other side effects are reported in recent cases, including death.
Reports allege the company was not willing to disclose the risks, though it denies any wrongdoing. It has however settled some claims in 2014. The jury finds the litigation complicated to pronounce any hard penalty.
5. Allergan
Viberazi is a drug used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or IBS-D. However, there are reports suggesting that it is not causing trouble for patients without a gallbladder.
Many cases have been filed against the manufacturer, Allergan. The suit alleges that the company failed to warn the patients of the side effects.
The FDA gave a nod to the drug in 2015 but had no option to issue a warning in 2017. Most of the reported cases ended up in the hospital. On the same line, the European Medicines Agency also warned the patients against the drug.
There’s suspicion that the drug did not undergo proper medical trials. The company however denies the claims and continues to refuse to take any responsibility.
In the end
Knowingly or unknowingly, these companies have failed to honor the sanctity of their profession. As the result, hundreds of thousands are affected and suffering for some or other reason.
While the agencies are vigilant to what’s happening around them, some concrete course of action is what people demand. It is time for a ‘walk the talk’ to be practiced, and set the example for other pharma companies to set things right before it is late.
