Pharmacy Operations Expert Opines on Stevens-Johnson Syndrome After Antibiotic Administration

Case Overview

This case involves a male patient who had been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder several years before the events of the incident in question. In order to treat the symptoms of this thyroid disorder, the Defendant gave the patient aggressive steroid treatments. In addition to these steroid treatments, the patient was given a range of antibiotics over a period of months. When he did not respond to the original antibiotics prescribed, he was given Avelox. At some point, the patient began to complain of fever and fatigue, as well as the development of lesions in his mouth and tongue. The patient was hospitalized with Stevens Johnson syndrome, after which it was discovered that he had been receiving drugs containing sulfa despite the fact that he had a known allergy to the substance. It was alleged that the pharmacy that was dispensing the drug had failed to account for the patient’s drug allergy record when it filled his antibiotic prescriptions.

Questions to the Pharmacy expert and their responses

Have you had patients similar to the one described in the case?

Based on the information provided in the case overview, it appears that the plaintiff suffered from multiple adverse drug reactions involving several prescription medications. Of particular note, the plaintiff notes a past medical history of allergy to sulfa drugs, which is well established to be associated with Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

What protocols are in place to ensure the proper administration of a drug to the patient?

It is the responsibility of a physician to obtain detailed medical information from a patient prior to prescribing a medication. This includes acquiring information regarding drug allergy and all current and previous medications. Additionally, a physician must know the potential for drug-drug interactions in a patient prescribed multiple drugs and make accommodations for this. At the level of the pharmacy, consultation between the patient and pharmacist provides a secondary level of safeguard that can ensure that medications are administered safely.

About the expert

This highly qualified Clinical Pharmacology expert received a PhD in the Pharmaceutical Studies from the highly regarded University of Toronto. He is a member of such prestigious professional societies as the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and is extensively published in his field. He is currently a Professor of Pharmacology at a major university medical center as well as Chair-elect of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

E-005901

Specialties:

Pharmacy