Jury Awards 5.5M in Duragesic Patch Lawsuit
Updated June 2007- A jury award of $5.5 million was entered in federal court in West Palm to the father of a man who died while wearing a Duragesic patch. The patch, made by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, distributes time-released doses transdermally of the prescription synthetic opiate fentanyl. The decedent’s father found his son dead at his computer in 2003 wearing one of the Duragesic patches.
The decedent Adam Hendelson was a chronic pain sufferer and thus a candidate for the Duragesic patch. He suffered from chronic hip pain and wore the patches on his arm. However, an autopsy revealed that he had over three times the suggested therapeutic level of fentanyl in his system at the time of his death.
The root of the problem lay in defective design of the patches, which caused the fentanyl gel reservoir in the patch to leak onto the skin excessively, causing his death.
The FDA is investigating 120 other similar deaths. If you have been injured as a result of a Duragesic patch, then you should contact an attorney immediately. Please fill out the form on the right to consult with an InjuryBoard attorney today. Please remember that there are time limitations in which you must file suit.