Benjamin Gideon
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
When clients come to us, they are looking for financial compensation. They are often struggling just to stay above water, and they need money to provide safety and security to meet basic life needs and to build a new and better life for themselves and their family in the future.
But for many of our clients, their case is also about something more—something more important —than money. It’s about accountability. It’s about wanting to create a society where individuals, corporations, medical providers and insurance companies don’t get away with selfish personal injury law.
Ben grew up in Portland, Maine, where he attended public schools and graduated from Deering High School in 1989. His father, Martin Rogoff, a prominent member of the Maine Law School faculty, immersed Ben in legal discussions from a young age, developing his legal skills through nightly debates at the dinner table. His mother was an award-winning elementary school teacher who instilled in him the value of caring for others.
In high school, Ben played varsity soccer and captained the hockey team. He attended Cornell University but struggled academically. Following academic probation, Ben rehabilitated himself through community college courses, eventually re-admitting to Cornell and completing his degree.
Hunter J. Tzovarras
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
Hunter has tried over a 150 criminal defense cases throughout the Maine courts obtaining not guilty verdicts on charges ranging from murder, manslaughter, sexual assault, aggravated assault, theft, burglary, OUI DUI DWI, domestic violence assault, drug charges, driving charges, sex offenses, and other felonies and misdemeanors charges.
Hunter is a graduate of the University of Maine and Quinnipiac University School of Law. He returned to Maine in 2007 to start his law practice. He lives in Bangor with his family and Bernese Mountain Dog.
William T. Bly
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
Owner and Managing Attorney William T. Bly has spent two decades building a law practice centered on the pursuit of justice with an unwavering commitment to his clients.
He is committed to fighting for individuals confronting legal challenges embodying the principles of integrity, compassion, and perseverance. The pursuit of justice transcends mere obligation. For Attorney Bly, it is a profound calling.
Luke S. Rioux
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
I defend clients facing all Misdemeanor and Felony criminal charges from Disorderly Conduct to Homicide. I practice at the Trial and Appellate Level in State and Federal Court throughout Cumberland, York and Androscoggin Counties. I have won not guilty verdicts at Jury trials throughout Southern Maine and have argued appeals before the State Supreme Court.
If you arrived here after looking at other attorney sites, you might ask: “Where are the scales of justice? Why is there no constitution waiving in the breeze next to an American flag surrounded by eagles and words like “EXPERIENCED” and “EXCELLENCE” all in cursive and gold leaf?” The answer is, that stuff looks stupid and it’s meaningless junk. It’s the kind of thing lawyers put on thier websites when they want to look like they have something to say but don’t care to invest the time or effort to say anything worth listening to.
Terry Garmey
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
Terry Garmey has fought on behalf of plaintiffs for more than 40 years, has earned more 7-figure verdicts of any attorney in the state of Maine, and has received the highest awards and accolades in his field. Terry was the first lawyer from Maine to be invited to the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization comprised of the top 100 plaintiff lawyers in the U.S. He was also invited into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers and has repeatedly been named Personal Injury Litigator of the Year for Portland, Maine by Best Lawyers.
Terry attended La Salle University in Philadelphia, taught at a reform school, went to broadcasting school and landed work as a disc jockey. That led him to Boston, where he hosted a show on WRKO. He worked at a drug rehab center and earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard University. After watching the court-appointed lawyers who represented clients of the rehab center, Terry decided to enroll in law school. In his third year, he worked for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. He was trial assistant in the highly publicized case of Commonwealth v. Susan Saxe, a former Brandeis University student who took part in a bank heist during which an accomplice shot and killed a Boston police officer. After graduation and another year at the DA’s office, Terry knew he wanted to work as a plaintiff’s lawyer.
Ronald L. Abramson
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
Ron began his career with the New Hampshire Public Defender in 1993 before establishing himself as one of the State’s preeminent immigration lawyers. In a career spanning over three decades, Ron has handled a multitude of immigration, criminal defense, civil litigation, and international legal matters. He has received numerous awards, been recognized as a top immigration attorney, served as an international trade consultant, and has taught law courses, both in the United States and abroad.
As a native of Chile and a naturalized United States citizen himself, immigration is close to Ron’s heart. He has successfully obtained all manner of business and family-based visas; has successfully brought cutting-edge post-conviction relief cases in state and federal courts; has taught at local, regional, and national training programs; and has litigated several appeals before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, Board of Immigration Appeals, and U.S. Circuit Courts.
Mr. Berne
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
Mr. Berne has been practicing criminal law for over forty-two years. He received a B.S. degree from Harvard College, cum laude, in 1970 and his law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1974.
Prior to establishing his office in Portland, Maine, Mr. Berne served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and the Northern District of California, where he prosecuted cases involving narcotics, bank fraud, and various white collar crimes. Upon leaving the Government in 1981, he entered private practice with a nationally prominent white collar defense firm in New York City and, in 1992, established his own law practice in Portland, Maine.
Elliott R. Teel
Defective Drug Recalls Lawyer
Elliott has been practicing law in Maine since 2007 with a focus on real property and small business issues. A native of Connecticut, he previously worked in the environmental and energy fields in Washington, D.C. before attending law school at the University of District of Columbia. His undergraduate studies were in environmental studies and sociology at St. Lawrence University in northern New York.
He was previously on the Board of Directors of the Portland Independent Business and Community Alliance (better known as Portland Buy Local), and a Director of the Pond Island Association, an land ownership organization in downeast Maine.
Elliott founded, and subsequently sold, a digital photography services company in Portland. He currently lives in Cape Elizabeth with his two children.
What Are the 4 Drug Stages?
Understanding Drug Development and Pharmacokinetics
The journey of a drug from concept to clinical use is a complex and highly regulated process, essential to ensuring that new medicines are both safe and effective. In pharmacology and medicine, the phrase “four drug stages” can refer to two fundamental frameworks: the four main stages of drug development, and the four pharmacokinetic stages a drug undergoes in the human body. Both frameworks are crucial for understanding how new therapies are discovered, tested, and brought to patients, as well as how they act once inside the body. Let’s explore both interpretations in detail.
The Four Stages of Drug Development
Drug development is a lengthy, meticulous process that transforms a promising compound into a marketable medication. This process is typically divided into four key stages:
1. Discovery and Development
The first stage of drug development begins with the identification of a biological target associated with a disease, such as a protein, enzyme, or gene. Researchers then screen thousands of chemical compounds to find those that interact with the target in a way that could be therapeutically useful. This stage involves:
Target identification and validation: Understanding the disease mechanism and pinpointing where intervention could be effective.
Compound screening: Using high-throughput screening and computer modeling to identify promising molecules.
Lead optimization: Modifying chemical structures to improve efficacy, reduce toxicity, and enhance drug-like properties.
This phase is primarily laboratory-based and can take several years, with only a small fraction of compounds moving forward.
2. Preclinical Research
Once a lead compound is identified, it undergoes extensive preclinical testing. The goal here is to gather preliminary data on safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics before human trials. This stage includes:
In vitro studies: Testing the compound on cells or tissues in the lab.
In vivo studies: Evaluating the compound in animal models to assess toxicity, metabolism, and potential effectiveness.
Pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies: Determining how the drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted, as well as its potential side effects.
Only compounds that demonstrate acceptable safety profiles and potential therapeutic benefit proceed to clinical trials.
3. Clinical Development
Clinical development is the most visible and resource-intensive stage, involving rigorous testing in humans through multiple phases:
Phase I: Small groups of healthy volunteers or patients receive the drug to evaluate safety, dosage range, and side effects.
Phase II: A larger group of patients is treated to assess efficacy and further evaluate safety.
Phase III: Large-scale studies compare the new drug to existing treatments or placebos, confirming its effectiveness, monitoring side effects, and collecting information for safe use.
Each phase must be completed successfully before moving on to the next, and the entire process is closely monitored by regulatory agencies.
4. Regulatory Approval and Post-Marketing Surveillance
After successful clinical trials, all data are compiled into a comprehensive dossier and submitted to regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). These agencies review the evidence to determine whether the drug should be approved for public use. If approved, the drug enters the market, but monitoring continues:
Post-marketing surveillance (Phase IV): Ongoing studies and reporting systems track the drug’s long-term safety and effectiveness in the general population, ensuring any rare or long-term adverse effects are identified and managed.
The Four Pharmacokinetic Stages (ADME)
In addition to the development process, understanding how a drug behaves in the body is essential. This is summarized by the four pharmacokinetic stages, often abbreviated as ADME:
1. Absorption
Absorption refers to how a drug enters the bloodstream from its site of administration (oral, intravenous, topical, etc.). Factors influencing absorption include the drug’s formulation, solubility, and the presence of food or other medications. Effective absorption is critical for the drug to reach therapeutic levels in the blood.
2. Distribution
Once absorbed, the drug is distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream. Distribution determines how much of the drug reaches the target tissues and organs. Factors such as blood flow, tissue permeability, and binding to plasma proteins influence this stage.
3. Metabolism
Metabolism is the process by which the body chemically modifies the drug, usually in the liver. This can activate, deactivate, or convert the drug into more water-soluble compounds for easier elimination. Metabolism affects the drug’s duration of action and potential for side effects.
4. Excretion
Excretion is the removal of the drug and its metabolites from the body, primarily through the kidneys (urine) or the liver (bile/feces). Efficient excretion prevents accumulation and toxicity.
Conclusion
Understanding the four stages of drug development and the four pharmacokinetic stages provides a comprehensive view of how new medicines are discovered, tested, and used. The development stages ensure that only safe and effective drugs reach the market, while the ADME framework explains how those drugs act within the body. Together, these processes form the backbone of modern pharmacology, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care from new therapeutic advances.