Florida Jury Awards $25.8 Million Against Walgreen's Pharmacy for Misfilled Prescription

Amy Rothschild

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A jury in Bartown, Florida, rendered a $25.8 million on August 17, 2007, to a cancer patient's family who was given a wrong prescription by Walgreen's pharmacy. The wrong prescription resulted in the cancer patient having a stroke and dying several days later.

The patient, who was being treated for breast cancer, was prescribed Warfarin, a blood thinner, in 2002 to treat the breast cancer. The prescription, which was filled at a Walgreen's pharmacy, was filled in an amount ten times more than what had been prescribed by her doctor according to court documents.

The jury in Polk County Circuit Court found the mistake in the prescription caused the cancer patient to suffer from a cerebral hemorrhage which resulted in permanent bodily injury, disability and physical pain. The cancer patient who was only 46 years old at the time of her death, was the mother of three children.

The lawsuit against Walgreen's was filed by the cancer patient's husband and children for negligent breath of duty and wrongful death. According to the Complaint, the prescription was misfilled by a nineteen year old pharmacy technician who had very little training.

Walgreen's expressed sympathy over the death of the woman but felt that the verdict was unfair. It is unclear if Walgreen's intends to file an appeal regarding the amount of the verdict.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Wrongful Death.