September 25, 2007
Go Walgreens!
A jury awarded $25.8 million Friday to the family of a cancer patient
who was given a wrong prescription, had a stroke and died several
years later, lawyers said.
Beth Hippely was prescribed Warfarin, a blood thinner, in 2002 to
treat breast cancer. The prescription filled at a Walgreens pharmacy
was 10 times what her doctor prescribed, court documents said.
The Polk County Circuit Court jury found the prescription error caused
a cerebral hemorrhage resulting in permanent bodily injury, disability
and physical pain. The mother of three died in January at the age of 46.
A 19-year-old pharmacy technician, with little training, misfiled the
prescription, according to court documents.
The lawsuit was filed in 2003 by Hippely, her husband Deane Hippely
and their children against the Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. for
negligent breach of duty and wrongful death.
“Beth Hippely died unnecessarily because this tenfold overdose with
Warfarin by the pharmacy she trusted caused her cancer to come back
with a vengeance and it interrupted all of her cancer treatments,” her
lawyer Chris Searcy said. “They have been seeking justice for almost
five years and this was a case that screamed out for justice.”
A statement released by the company expressed sympathy for the Hippely
family.
“We’re truly sorry for what the Hippely family has been through, and
we’ve personally apologized to them,” Walgreens spokeswoman Carol
Hively said in a statement. “We have been, and continue to be, the
leader in pharmacy safety initiatives. We had hoped the verdict would
have been fair and reasonable.”
Hively said the company had not decided if it would appeal the decision.