Why are prescription drug recalls so frequent?

Prescription drugs spend a vast amount of time in the limelight because they are often rushed to market without adequate testing, making the long-term effects of prescription medications difficult to determine. During the past four years alone, over a dozen widely used prescription drugs have been withdrawn from the market for safety reasons.

Pharmaceutical companies manufacture and market hundreds of new drugs every year in the United States. Drug companies want consumers to believe there is a prescription drug that can cure any ailment. However, before a product reaches the shelf, it must be tested and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is responsible for protecting the public by assuring the safety and security of drugs, biological products, medical devices, and a variety of other products.

Unfortunately for many consumers, not every drug approved for use is safe, and the effects of harmful drugs may be deadly. Many injuries occur each year in the U.S. due to prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Patients are harmed due to dangerous side effects, with some injuries resulting in death. Doctors, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical companies can all be held liable for personal injuries resulting from the use of these drugs. Drugs that are the subject of personal injury cases have often been recalled or abused.

In recent years, there have been a number of drug recalls on medications that cause death or serious injury. In many cases, it was determined through litigation and subsequent FDA investigation that the manufacturers of recalled drugs were aware of the risk of death or serious injury from the medication before it was available to the public.

Manufacturers of drugs, medications, and medical devices have a duty to consumers to provide products that are reasonably safe when used as intended. A product's approval by the FDA alone does not allow a manufacturer to avoid liability.

When a pharmaceutical is defective and has dangerous side effects they can harm innocent people resulting in personal injuries and sometimes even wrongful death. Any person injured as a result of taking a prescription drug should contact the experienced law firm of Gary C. Johnson, P.S.C. to discuss their case. Litigation may be the only way to receive the damages to which you may be entitled.