Wrong Medication

St. Louis, MO: (Feb-13-08) Chanda Givens brought a federal lawsuit against Walgreens, alleging that wrong medication dispensed to her resulted in her having a miscarriage. The suit claimed that Givens, then 29, wanted to ensure the health of her unborn child when she became pregnant in February 2007. Her doctor prescribed a prenatal vitamin, Materna. But instead, a Walgreens store in suburban St. Louis gave her Matulane, a chemotherapy drug that interferes with cell growth. She stated that she suffered bouts of nausea, vomiting, neurologic symptoms, dizziness, lightheadedness, chills and shortness of breath. She underwent medical examination that showed her fetus was not developing normally. She miscarried in early April 2007. The suit alleged that the loss of her baby was a direct result of Walgreens' giving her the wrong drug, and she and her husband, Courtenay, sought actual and punitive damages in excess of $75,000.

Her legal counsel contended Walgreens failed her on multiple levels in terms of supervising its personnel and verifying the prescription with her doctor. Sources close to the case stated that Walgreens resolved the lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed sum. Givens, her husband and her attorneys cannot talk about it publicly because they signed a confidentiality agreement. [USA TODAY: WRONG MEDICATION]