Medical Malpractice
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"$7.7M Awarded Because of Pharmacy Error"

A Lancaster County jury has awarded a woman nearly $8 million after she suffered serious injuries resulting from a pharmacy error that led her to take too much medication.

A judge ordered Eckerd Corporation, owner of the pharmacy, to pay the victim, Tiffany Phillips, $7.7 million for its role in the mistake.

CVS was also involved in the mistake, but it settled its lawsuit with Phillips under undisclosed terms, said Mike DeAngelis, CVS Spokesman.

What Happened?

Tiffany Phillips, 28, went to Eckerd to fill her prescription for a drug to help her cope with her recent kidney transplant, said Ronnie Crosby, Phillips'' attorney. Phillips received the transplant to replace the lone kidney she was born with.

Eckerd did not have enough of the drug, prednisone, so a pharmacy technician called a nearby CVS for the medication, the suit said. But there was a miscommunication, which eventually resulted in Phillips being told to take five times the recommended dose of the drug for three days.

Crosby said that the computer system at CVS warned that the prescription was unusual, but one of the workers overrode the flag manually.

As a result, Phillips'' new kidney, which she had obtained from her mother in the transplant, failed. She was hospitalized and underwent another kidney transplant, this time from an organ donor.

“The initial transplant was a perfect match,” said Crosby.

Crosby said that after taking too much of the drug, Phillips cannot use dialysis. She also cannot have a third transplant, Crosby said.

“This is it for her,” he said. “The net result is this has reduced her life expectancy.”

According to DeAngelis, no CVS employee was disciplined for the mix-up.

The Verdict

The jury found that the pharmacies were 90 percent at fault and ordered a payment of $2.7 million for damages and $5 million more for punitive damages.

If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt or killed as a result of a pharmacy or prescription error, please contact us today for a free consultation with a dedicated personal injury attorney who can help you recover the compensation you may be qualified to receive.