According to an Associated Press story, the families of two newborns who died after they were inadvertently given massive doses of heparin have sued an Indianapolis hospital and the Illinois-based company that makes the blood thinner.

The suit filed recently in Marion Superior Court against Methodist Hospital and Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter Healthcare Corp. doesn’t specify damages.

The suit was filed by an defective drug attorney for the parents of two of the three newborns who died in September 2006 following injections of heparin 1,000 times greater than the recommended dose for infants. Also suing are the parents of two infants who were overdosed but survived.

The error occurred in part because of a mix up over labeling.

A Baxter spokeswoman said the deaths were tragic but preventable, and it is vital that clinicians always read the name and dose of a drug before giving it to a patient. Baxter changed the labeling on its heparin vials in October 2007.

A spokesman for Clarian Health Partners, of which Methodist is part, said the company did not have all the details of the litigation and had no comment.

Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife sued Baxter last year after their newborn twins got massive doses of the blood thinner at a hospital.

These families aren’t the only ones battling drug companies over wrongful deaths due to defective drugs or defective labeling. It is advisable to locate an experienced defective drug attorney in case legal advice is necessary for a heparin lawsuit or settlement .

Canadian drug makers, Health Canada, are recalling ratio-Morphine SR 15 milligram, 30 milligram and 60 milligram tablets. The tablets are being recalled due to possible overdose risks.

The recall was initiated after complaints were received by KV Pharmaceutical, a U.S. drug manufacturer.

Some morphine tablets may be oversized, containing more prescription medication than indicated on the label. This could lead to potential overdose.

According to defective drug attorneys, the symptoms of a morphine overdose are:

• Abnormal breathing
• Abnormally low blood pressure
• Abnormally low heart rate
• Dizziness

If untreated, a serious morphine overdose may also result in a cardiac arrest or fatality. If a drug overdose is suspected, defective drug lawyers agree that it is important to contact a qualified medical professional.

Ethex Corporation has expanded its recall of morphine tablets on June 16, 2008. The recalled tablets potentially contain twice the dose of morphine that is on the prescription drug label.

Ethex Corporation originally recalled a single lot of morphine tablets on June 9, 2008. The recall has been expanded to include both 60 mg and 30 mg lots of extended release morphine tablets.

The recall expansion is being described as a precaution by Ethex Corporation. There have not been any reports of adverse reactions linked to the tablets.

Serious adverse reactions can develop due to an overdose of an opioid medication, like morphine. Symptoms of an opioid overdose include respiratory distress, low-blood pressure and hypotension.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed the following recalled lots: 30mg Tablet/NDC # 58177-320-04: Lots 75090, 77846, 77847, 80048, 83320, 89661, 89665, 90252 through 90258, and 93284 and 60mg Tablet/NDC # 58177-330-04: Lots 91762 (previously reported), 75091, 75092, 77848 through 77851, 82517, 82518, 83333, 83817, 83862, 84111, 84112, 84315, 84900, 85326, 85335, 85807, 86270 through 86276, 87723, 87939, 88007, 89083, 89668, 89669, 89821, 90260 through 90272, and 91763 through 91765.

Defective drug attorneys are working to prevent the serious illnesses and injuries that can result from faulty prescription drugs.