FDA Posts Warning About Pfizer’s Antipsychotic Geodon Due to Potentially Fatal Skin Reaction
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a serious warning about a dangerous drug – Pfizer’s antipsychotic Geodon, which has the generic name ziprasidone – which can cause a serious but fatal skin reaction in some patients.
The FDA added a new drug label to Geodon to warn patients about the condition, called Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS). Patients who present with a rash and/or swollen lymph nodes should immediately seek medical attention, and doctors and nurses who suspect DRESS should stop the patient’s prescription.
Ziprasidone is an antipsychotic designed to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The drug can help balance the brain’s chemistry to decrease instances of hallucination, delusions, mania, and other psychotic symptoms. Normally, patients must take the Pfizer drug every day as directed, but if symptoms of DRESS begin, then the patient must stop taking it.
DRESS can present as a rash that spreads to all parts of the body. The rash includes fever, swelling of the lymph nodes, and eventually a dangerous inflammation of the liver, kidney, lungs, heart, or pancreas. The syndrome can also lead to higher-than-normal white blood cell count involving cells called eosinophils.
The FDA is aware of 6 patients who took Pfizer’s Geodon and presented with DRESS symptoms. None of the patients died and there is no drug recall as of yet. However, the six complaints involved patients who presented with DRESS symptoms after 11 to 30 days of the beginning of treatment with Geodon.
Dangerous Pharmaceuticals and Personal Injury
Did you know that every year approximately 200,000 Americans die from prescription drug reactions? While the U.S. government pours billions of dollars into illegal drug interdiction every year, more Americans die from problems with legal, prescription drugs than illegal ones. Sometimes these complications lead to drug recalls, but often the process takes years, while consumers file complaints and personal injury lawsuits against the pharmaceutical company pile up.
To protect yourself and your family, it’s important to know what products and drugs have been recalled because they are defective or unsafe. Federal agencies such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), and the CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) frequently issue recalls for medical devices, drugs, and products that may be harmful to consumers. Every year, thousands of consumers sustain serious injuries from defective drugs. Some consumers even die after taking a dangerous drug that has not been recalled. Many of these problems could be avoided if the manufacturers or distributors of these products took additional steps to ensure consumer safety.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help Dangerous Drug Personal Injury Lawsuits
The South Carolina pharmaceutical liability lawyers at The Strom Law Firm, LLC are at the forefront of the fight to protect the public and will stand up for your rights against the big drug and insurance companies that produce dangerous drugs and products like Geodon from Pfizer. We will fight to ensure that you and your loved ones receive the justice you deserve. Contact our defective drug and wrongful death attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case as well as your legal rights. Contact us today. 803.252.4800.
