Washington, D.C., Dangerous Drug Lawyer
Our dangerous drug lawyer in Washington, D.C., can fight the pharmaceutical companies to protect your rights
When people are sick or injured, they are often prescribed medication. Prescription drugs are not as invasive as other types of treatments, and in most cases, they are very effective. Unfortunately, sometimes these medications are dangerous. Just like other products, prescription drugs may be defective. They are also very powerful, and at times, their side effects are as well, and patients are not given any warning about them.
Patients who use these defective drugs can suffer injuries and complications that are life-changing. If you or someone you love has been hurt, our dangerous drug lawyer in Washington, D.C., can help.
Table of contents
- Why Nace Law Group?
- What is the difference between dangerous drug claims and medication error cases?
- FDA recalls and black box warnings
- Mass tort and multidistrict litigation (MDL) for dangerous drug cases in Washington, D.C.
- How are dangerous drug lawsuits investigated?
- What long-term injuries are caused by dangerous drugs?
- Evidence used in dangerous drug cases
- Washington, D.C. dangerous drugs FAQs
- How to locate a dangerous drug lawyer near me
Why Nace Law Group?
If you have been harmed by a dangerous drug, our defective drug attorney in DC can provide the legal advice you need. When filing a lawsuit based on dangerous medications, you will likely have to go up against big companies in DC and throughout the country. In the District of Columbia, these companies may include Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals.
At Nace Law Group, our legal team is ready and willing to take on these large corporations and ensure that your rights are upheld. We have decades of litigation experience at the national level and will put it to work for you.
We have been recognized by the National Civil Justice Institute, Lawdragon 2025, and we were named Washingtonian Top Lawyers in 2024. When you need sound legal advice, you need our team of attorneys working for you.
Verdicts & Settlement
Barry J. Nace’s $95 Million Verdict in a Defective Drug Lawsuit Against Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals
In a pivotal 1987 case, attorney Barry J. Nace secured a $95 million verdict against Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals for a boy born with deformities linked to the morning-sickness drug Bendectin, used by his mother during pregnancy. This landmark case underscored the pharmaceutical company's negligence in ensuring the drug's safety and marked a significant victory in drug liability litigation, emphasizing the importance of corporate accountability in the safety of pharmaceutical products.
What is the difference between dangerous drug claims and medication error cases?
Under the law in Washington, D.C., medication error claims and dangerous drug cases usually involve different legal theories and defendants. Dangerous drug claims fall under the area of product liability law. They target drug manufacturers for defects in a medication’s manufacturing process, design, or marketing.
Medication error claims, on the other hand, fall under the legal area of medical malpractice. These lawsuits are typically filed against medical professionals, hospitals, pharmacies, and pharmacists and are based on negligent prescriptions, dispensing, or the administration of medication.
The core issue of dangerous drug claims is that a medication is defective and poses inherent risks, regardless of how it was prescribed or administered. There are three types of defects that may result in a dangerous drug lawsuit, and they include:
- Design defects: A design defect means a drug is inherently dangerous even when it is properly manufactured and administered. For example, a drug may be considered defective if its formulation poses unreasonable risks even when made correctly and used as directed.
- Manufacturing defects: A manufacturing defect occurs when the medication is actually being produced. For example, if a drug was contaminated because a worker did not follow proper hygiene practices, that is a manufacturing defect.
- Marketing defects: Some drugs pose inherent risks that are not considered defects if the manufacturer warns consumers about them. When they fail to provide this warning, it is considered a marketing defect.
Dangerous drug cases may be based on strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, or failure to warn, depending on the facts of a specific case. Cases based on strict liability do not require you to prove the manufacturer, distributor, or seller was negligent. You must only prove that the drug was defective and that you were hurt as a result. When proving negligence is not necessary, these types of cases still present many challenges. Our drug liability attorney in Washington, D.C., can help you overcome them.
FDA recalls and black box warnings
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regularly monitors the drug supply chain to remove products that are defective, contaminated, or mislabeled. When a drug is found to be dangerous, the FDA may work with manufacturers to remove it from the market, correct the medication’s labeling or marketing, or pursue other regulatory actions.
Recent recalls and safety actions include certain types of Gas-X, dietary supplements containing undeclared drug ingredients such as sildenafil, and FDA warnings involving unapproved or compounded GLP-1 drugs. The agency keeps an updated table of all recalls on its website. Our recalled medication lawsuit lawyer can advise on your case if you have been hurt by medication that should have been removed from shelves or corrected.
Black box warnings inform consumers of serious or life-threatening risks of taking a certain type of drug. These are known as ‘black box warnings’ among medical professionals and patients because they have a prominent black border that calls attention to them when placed on a label. These are the most serious safety alerts the FDA requires from drug manufacturers.
If you were hurt after a drug recall or a missing black box warning, our pharmaceutical injury lawyer in Washington, D.C., can advise on your case.
Mass tort and multidistrict litigation (MDL) for dangerous drug cases in Washington, D.C.
Defective drugs often hurt thousands of people across the country because manufacturers distribute them throughout the nation. In these cases, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) determines whether the individual cases should be consolidated into one federal case for pretrial proceedings. Unlike in class action lawsuits, plaintiffs in MDLs typically retain their individual lawsuits and damages. Our dangerous medication lawsuit attorney can advise on MDL procedures and help you through them.
How are dangerous drug lawsuits investigated?
Dangerous drug lawsuits require scientific evidence, and they may be investigated through the MDL legal process. Investigations focus on medical protocols and industry standards.
Your attorney will subpoena thousands of documents, including safety reports, clinical trial data, internal emails, and marketing materials, to establish that the company knew, or should have known, about the risks of a specific drug. Your lawyer also collects your medical history to establish that the defective drug caused your injuries.
The FDA monitors adverse events reported by patients and doctors to identify harmful patterns. It is always advised that you work with a defective pharmaceutical lawyer in DC, as they often partner with scientific and medical experts to build a strong case against the huge legal teams employed by the big pharmaceutical companies.
What long-term injuries are caused by dangerous drugs?
Dangerous drugs can cause a number of severe injuries that are often irreversible. These may include:
- Organ failure
- Cardiovascular issues
- Blood disorders
- Neurological problems
- Psychological and cognitive impairments
- Severe allergic reactions
- Developmental and birth defects
- Overdoses
If you have suffered the above injuries or complications, or any other, our harmful medication attorney in Washington, D.C., can advise on your case.
Evidence used in dangerous drug cases
When filing a dangerous drug lawsuit, you need strong evidence that clearly shows the medication was defective and that you suffered an injury as a result. This evidence can take many forms, including:
- Comprehensive medical records showing how the drug was prescribed and used, and that link your symptoms to the medication.
- Expert testimony that can explain the biological mechanism of the prescription and prove it caused harm.
- Proof of damages, such as medical receipts showing the cost of treating the injury caused by the drug, lost wages, and other losses.
- Regulatory and corporate documents showing the manufacturer knew, or should have known, of the risks and failed to properly warn doctors or patients.
- Side effect reports submitted to medical professionals or the FDA regarding the dangerous medication.
Washington, D.C. dangerous drugs FAQs
Can I sue a pharmaceutical company for side effects?
In certain cases, you can sue a pharmaceutical company for injuries caused by medication side effects. You must be able to show that the drug was defective. You must also file before the statute of limitations, or time limit, expires. In Washington, D.C., this is usually three years from the date of injury, or the date you should have discovered the injury.
Can families sue after a fatal drug injury?
When a drug is defective and causes a fatality, families can pursue a wrongful death lawsuit to seek damages for the losses they have sustained. Only the personal representative of the deceased’s estate can file a lawsuit. However, any damages awarded are distributed among close family members, which typically include the deceased’s spouse or domestic partner, children, or parents.
How long do dangerous drug lawsuits take?
There is no way to determine exactly how long a dangerous drug lawsuit will take, especially before an attorney has reviewed the facts of your case. Typically, however, these cases take between two and five years. These lawsuits are highly complex and require extensive documentation, expert testimony, and MDLs.
What compensation is available in drug injury lawsuits?
The compensation available in dangerous drug lawsuits is largely made up of economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages have a fixed dollar value and include losses such as medical expenses, lost income, and loss of earning capacity if you cannot return to the same line of work in the future. Non-economic damages are intangible, and so, they are harder to calculate. These losses include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of consortium.
In rare cases, punitive damages may also be available. These do not compensate injured individuals for their losses, but rather, they are meant to punish pharmaceutical companies and other defendants for fraud, malice, or a conscious disregard for patient safety.
What should I do if I believe a medication harmed me?
There are many steps to take if you have suffered injury from a dangerous drug. These are as follows:
- Seek immediate medical attention.
- Preserve all evidence, including the prescription package, instructions, and photos of the label and your injuries.
- Collect all documents related to the purchase of the drug, including the receipt and any instructions you received with it.
- Report the dangerous drug to the FDA.
- Consult a Washington, D.C., dangerous drug attorney.
How to locate a dangerous drug lawyer near me
At Nace Law Group, our experienced legal team serves the Washington, D.C. area, including Georgetown. We can also help with your case if it involves an MDL involving other injured individuals or pharmaceutical companies in other parts of the country.
Call our dangerous drug lawyer in Washington, D.C., today
If you believe that you have been hurt by a defective prescription, you need strong legal representation. At Nace Law Group, our Washington, D.C., dangerous drug lawyer can provide it, answer your questions, and guide you through the process so you can pursue the best possible outcome. Call us today or fill out our online form to schedule a consultation and to learn more about how we can help with your case.