All patients deserve equal access to quality medical care. Unfortunately, racial biases permeate every facet of our society—including the actions, attitudes, and mindsets of healthcare providers.
From disparities in pain management and treatment recommendations to differences in diagnostic accuracy and referral patterns, racial bias manifests in countless ways. This can result in delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatment, and preventable complications that disproportionately affect patients of color. Our Oxbryta injury attorney is prepared to assist if you or a loved one suffered harm due to improper medical care.
Delayed or Inadequate Diagnosis and Treatment
When you walk into a doctor’s office, you expect to receive the same level of care as any other patient. However, research consistently shows that patients of color often face significant delays in receiving accurate diagnoses. Healthcare providers may dismiss or minimize these patients’ symptoms, attributing them to lifestyle factors or stress rather than conducting thorough medical evaluations.
These delays can have devastating consequences. Conditions like heart disease, cancer, and stroke require prompt intervention. When your symptoms are not taken seriously or when providers fail to order appropriate tests, treatable conditions can progress to advanced stages. You may find yourself facing more aggressive treatments, longer recovery times, and reduced survival rates—all because of implicit bias.
Higher Rates of Preventable Medical Complications
The effect of delayed or inadequate care does not stop at diagnosis. When you do not receive timely, appropriate treatment, you are at significantly higher risk for preventable complications. Conditions that could be easily managed in their early stages can progress to more severe, life-threatening situations. Each delay allows your condition more time to progress, making eventual treatment more complex and less effective.
Increased Maternal and Infant Mortality Rates
Perhaps nowhere are healthcare disparities more tragic than in maternal and infant health outcomes. Black women in America are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, regardless of income or education level. These deaths are largely preventable, stemming from healthcare providers failing to recognize, believe, or adequately respond to warning signs.
When you are pregnant and express concerns about pain, bleeding, or other symptoms, those concerns may be dismissed or attributed to normal pregnancy discomforts. This dismissal can prove fatal. High-profile cases like Serena Williams, who nearly died from postpartum complications despite her wealth and status, show how pervasive these biases are throughout the healthcare system.
Reduced Access to Specialized Care and Procedures
Even when you receive an accurate diagnosis, racial bias continues to impact your care through reduced access to specialized treatments and procedures. Studies show that patients of color are less likely to be referred to specialists, even when their conditions warrant expert care. You might wait longer for referrals, receive fewer treatment options, or be steered toward more conservative approaches when aggressive intervention would be more appropriate.
Lower Quality Pain Management and Symptom Relief
Medical providers consistently underestimate and undertreat pain in patients of color, often based on harmful myths about pain tolerance. When you report severe pain, you are more likely to have your discomfort questioned, minimized, or attributed to drug-seeking behavior. You might receive lower doses of pain medication, wait longer for pain relief, or be offered less effective treatments. Inadequate pain management can lead to chronic pain conditions, reduced quality of life, and ongoing health complications.
Decreased Trust in Healthcare Providers and Systems
The cumulative effect of these disparities perpetuates a harmful cycle: decreased trust in healthcare systems. When you have experienced dismissive care, delayed diagnoses, or inadequate treatment, you naturally become hesitant to seek medical care. This reluctance can lead to delayed treatment for future health issues, creating even worse outcomes.
This erosion of trust affects entire communities. When family and friends share stories of poor healthcare experiences, it reinforces the perception that the medical system does not adequately serve people of color. This can put your health and the health of your loved ones at risk.
Oxbryta: A Dangerous Medication That Disproportionately Affects People of Color
The medications trusted by patients of color also have the potential to cause harm. Oxbryta was developed and marketed to treat sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that overwhelmingly affects African American patients. Patients with this condition already face significant healthcare challenges and a shortened life expectancy. When Oxbryta was approved, it offered hope for improved quality of life by preventing the sickling of red blood cells that causes the disease’s painful complications.
However, Pfizer’s recent global recall of Oxbryta revealed that the medication posed serious risks that were not adequately disclosed. Clinical data showed an imbalance in serious side effects, including potentially fatal vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs): the very complications the medication was supposed to prevent. Now, former patients are left struggling with not only the painful symptoms of sickle cell disease, but also the effects of these undisclosed complications.
Seek Justice with Shapiro Legal Group, PLLC
The Oxbryta recall has opened the door for legal action. If you or a loved one took Oxbryta and experienced adverse effects, you may qualify to join the growing number of lawsuits against Pfizer. These lawsuits claim that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn patients and healthcare providers about the medication’s true risks, despite having access to clinical data showing increased rates of VOCs and death.
You may qualify for an Oxbryta lawsuit if you were prescribed and took Oxbryta for sickle cell disease treatment and you experienced VOCs or other undisclosed complications while taking the medication. You may also file a claim if you lost a loved one who was taking Oxbryta and died from these complications.
Damages you may be able to recover through an Oxbryta lawsuit include:
- Medical expenses related to treating complications from Oxbryta
- Lost wages due to increased hospitalizations and health issues
- Pain and suffering for the physical and emotional harm you suffered
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members
At Shapiro Legal Group, PLLC, we are fighting for justice on behalf of sickle cell patients who trusted Oxbryta to improve their quality of life, only to suffer severe complications because the manufacturer prioritized profits over safety. If you took Oxbryta and suffered a VOC or another undisclosed condition, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Contact us at (800) 220-0984 for a confidential consultation about your case and join our fight to hold Pfizer accountable.