Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
Millions of crucial medical treatments would not be available without the companies that devote time and resources to developing and manufacturing them. While pharmaceutical medications save millions of lives each year, they may also jeopardize them. A number of well-known manufacturing companies currently face thousands of lawsuits for defective drugs and devices. Additionally, many of these companies withhold life-threatening information in favor of more sales and profits.
Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim is a private German pharmaceutical manufacturer with operations in 145 countries. The company produces products for both animals and humans and focuses on cardiac and metabolic disease, respiratory medicine, oncology, immunology, central nervous system and retinal disorders. Boehringer Ingelheim may be facing thousands of lawsuits for medical injuries caused by some of their medications including anticoagulant Pradaxa and Type 2 diabetes medication, Tradjenta.
Pfizer
Pfizer is a pharmaceutical giant headquartered in New York City with operations in 180 countries around the world. Pfizer produces products in a wide range of therapeutic areas including internal medicine, oncology, rare diseases, immunology, and vaccines with a focus in developing science of biosimilars and gene therapies. The company saw a 92% increase in revenue in 2021 due to the development of vaccine and treatments for COVID-19. Pfizer has faced a number of lawsuits from patients who were harmed by taking Pfizer drugs such as Effexor, Zoloft, Depo-Testosterone, Chantix, and Bextra.
Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Indiana and is one of the oldest drug companies in the world. Founded by a pharmacist, Eli Lilly introduced many innovations that made medicine easier to take such as gelatin capsules, sugar coatings and flavorings. It was the first producer of insulin and a major force in the U.S. pharmaceutical market, particularly in antibiotics and psychiatric medicines but has come under fire over the past several years due to injuries caused by some of its medications including Zyprexa, Cymbalta, Byetta, Jardiance, Prozac and others.
Abbott/AbbVie
AbbVie is a pharmaceutical manufacturer formed as a spinoff of Abbott Laboratories in 2012. AbbVie specializing in biopharmaceuticals including the blockbuster drug, Humira. AbbVie has operations in 170 countries and focuses on complex disorders like immunology, virology, oncology, and neuroscience. AbbVie is the manufacturer of the blockbuster medication, Humira is the largest selling drug in U.S. history and is used to treat autoimmune disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, and Crohns disease. AbbVie has faced numerous legal challenges, including thousands of drug injury lawsuits for its testosterone replacement therapy drug, AndroGel.
Daiichi Sankyo
Daiichi Sankyo is a Japanese pharmaceutical company which sells products and services in over 20 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Tokyo and got its start as two, separate companies which had been pioneers in cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and immunology with the discovery and production of Adrenalin, a pharmaceutical form of the naturally occurring neurotransmitter, epinephrine along with a number of legacy medications to treat infectious diseases and other illnesses. Daiichi Sankyo has faced numerous legal challenges and lawsuits over some of its medications including Rezulin and Benicar.
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a pharmaceutical giant with operations in over 100 countries and a history which began in the 1840s. Its business is divided into three divisions: pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and consumer healthcare. GSK dropped to the tenth largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world after its consumer health division was spun off into a separate company, Haleon in 2022. GSK pharmaceutical products have notably included antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, ED medication Levitra, and diabetes medication Avandia which has resulted in a number of lawsuits.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a top-10 multinational pharmaceutical company based in the UK. AstraZeneca is currently focused on cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal disease, respiratory and immune function, and cancer treatment. The company has manufactured big-sellers like diabetes medications Farxiga, Byetta, and Bydureon, which have been accused of causing serious drug injuries. AstraZeneca, along with Oxford, developed and launched a version of the COVID-19 vaccine in December of 2020.
Endo
Endo is a global pharmaceutical company based in Dublin, Ireland with U.S. headquarters in Pennsylvania. In the U.S., Endo Pharmaceuticals focuses on Urology, Endocrinology, Orthopedics and Aesthetics and manufactures well-known medications such as Percocet and Lidoderm as well as a number of testosterone replacement products including Testim, Testopel, Striant and Fortesta which have been the subject of thousands of drug injury lawsuits and multiple improper marketing accusations.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Takeda Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1781 in Osaka, Japan. It is currently the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the top ten manufacturers in the in the world. Takeda focuses on neuroscience, plasma-derived treatments, oncology, gastroenterology and vaccines. Takeda’s type 2 diabetes drug Actos grew to become one of the best-selling diabetes treatments. However, numerous studies have shown that Actos can significantly increase the risk of congestive heart failure and bladder cancer and Takeda has faced thousands of lawsuits for Actos and other drugs including gout medication, Uloric.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers with focus on oncology, virology, and immunology along with cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological disorders. Some of its most notable products have resulted in numerous lawsuits including diabetes medications Farxiga, Glucophage, Byetta and Bydureon, anticoagulants Plavix and Eliquis, and antipsychotic Abilify along with others.
Merck & Co.
Founded in 1668, Merck & Co. has grown to become a global manufacturing giant and one of the most well-known companies in the world with medications, publications and products that have become industry-standards. It is known for products such as Coppertone sunscreen and over-the-counter allergy drug Claritin, along with its primary prescription focus in antidiabetics, cancer treatments, vaccines, antibiotics and animal health medications. Merck has faced a number of drug injury lawsuits for products such as arthritis medication Vioxx, osteoporosis drug Fosamax, diabetes medication Januvia, and Propecia, used for prostate disorder.
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is one of the world’s largest consumer goods and health products manufacturing companies with operations in over 80 countries. P&G specializes in household products, consumer goods and personal care items with notable brands including Crest, Tide, Pampers, CoverGirl and Secret. The company has also manufactured a number of pharmaceutical products including osteoporosis drug Actonel, which have resulted in multiple drug injury lawsuits.
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is perhaps the most well-known manufacturer in the world with products found in nearly every home. Johnson & Johnson is comprised of numerous subsidiaries including the pharmaceuticals of Janssen, medical devices by DePuy Synthes and Ethicon, and consumer health goods of J&J. Tylenol and Johnson’s Baby Powder are two of Johnson & Johnson’s most popular products which can be found in nearly every household in America. Both products, along with several medications and devices have resulted in drug and device injury lawsuits including blood thinner Pradaxa, DePuy hip and knee devices, and Ethicon Physiomesh.
Bayer
Bayer is a multinational pharmaceutical and life science company based in Germany. Bayer has operations around the globe in the fields of consumer healthcare, pharmaceuticals, crop science and animal health. It has been most well-known for products in women’s health, particularly contraceptives but has a range of products in other therapeutic areas including cardiology, radiology, and oncology. In 2018, Bayer acquired agrochemical company, Monsanto and its controversial product, Roundup which is the target of thousands of cancer lawsuits.
Medical Device Companies
C.R. Bard
C.R. Bard is a medical device manufacturer based in New Jersey which was acquired by another medical products company, Becton Dickinson (BD) in 2017. Under the BD name, Bard manufactures medical products and equipment for a variety of medical, hospital and surgical settings. Bard was the original manufacturer of the Foley urinary catheter, and still provides a number of urology, vascular and oncology products but has faced multiple device injury lawsuits for its vaginal mesh devices and IVC filters.
DePuy Synthes Orthopedics
DePuy Synthes is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson which manufactures orthopedics, sports medicine, and surgical devices. DePuy’s ASR Hip Resurfacing System and ASR XL Acetabular System hip joint replacement devices were highly popular but had to be recalled due to severe side effects. The company’s Attune and Sigma knee systems have also resulted in numerous injuries and DePuy has faced thousands of hip and knee device injury lawsuits, some of which have been settled.
Stryker Orthopaedics
Stryker Orthopaedics is the largest orthopedics device manufacturer in the world. Stryker manufactures products for joint replacement, spinal surgery, craniomaxillofacial medicine, sports medicine, and trauma and also offers products medical-surgical, neurotechnology and other areas. The company is well-known for its advancements in implants for the shoulders, hips, and knees, some of which have resulted in serious injury and thousands of lawsuits including hip replacement devices ABG II and Rejuvenate.
Zimmer Biomet
Zimmer Biomet is a global medical device company based in Indiana, founded in 1927 as Zimmer Holdings, which became Zimmer Biomet Holdings in 2015 with the acquisition of competitor, Biomet. The company sells orthopedics devices, joint replacement products, dental prosthetics and surgical solutions in over 100 countries. Both Zimmer and Biomet have faced thousands of lawsuits for injuries caused by their popular knee and hip replacement devices, some of which have been settled.
Coloplast
Coloplast is a Denmark-based supplier of medical care products with U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Coloplast’s product lines include ostomy care, continence care, wound and skin care, and products for interventional urology including implantable vaginal mesh and bladder slings. Coloplast has faced thousands of lawsuits for harm caused by its transvaginal mesh and bladder sling medical devices.
Cook Medical
Cook Medical is the largest privately-owned, global medical device manufacturer in the world. Cook product lines include devices for cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology, and other areas. Cook Medical manufactures transvaginal mesh products for surgical uterine and bladder repair which have caused serious injury for many women and resulted in thousands of device injury lawsuits.
Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific is a medical device company based in Massachusetts, with operations and products in 120 countries. It manufactures diagnostic and interventional treatment devices in a variety of therapeutic areas and is focused on less-invasive technologies for endoscopy, interventional cardiology and rhythm management, neuromodulation, peripheral therapies, urology, and pelvic health. Boston Scientific has faced a number of device injury lawsuits for their medical devices including thousands of transvaginal mesh lawsuits and numerous IVC filter lawsuits.