Injection drugs recalled after causing fever, flu-like symptoms

June 22, 2013 (Press-News.org) Injection drugs recalled after causing fever, flu-like symptoms

The FDA reported that in April 2013, a pharmaceutical company had to recall injection drugs after receiving reports of fever, flu-like symptoms and soreness from patients who received an injection of the drug. The FDA alerted health care providers of their concerns about drug products made and distributed by the company, and instructed them to quarantine any of the drugs from that company immediately. Also, FDA investigators inspected one of the company's facilities and observed what they described as poor sterile production practices that raised serious concerns about the safety of the company's drug products.

While the FDA did stop the distribution of this drug, many people were hurt before the recall and warnings began. Dangerous or defective prescription drugs can cause serious harm.

Product liability law: holding companies responsible

Every year in the U.S., thousands of people suffer injuries resulting from defective or dangerous prescription drugs. When the manufacturer or seller of a drug is responsible for the defect or danger, those who have been injured may be able to recover damages as compensation for their injuries. Product liability law consists of specific rules designed to determine whether a manufacturer or seller is at fault for defects or dangers in a product that results in injury to consumers.

Different from other kinds of legal claims concerning personal injury, product liability law sometimes helps people recover more easily when a company has caused them injury. Product liability law, in its most general sense, requires that products are safe for consumers and have no unexpected dangers or defects. Legally, this means that the product in question must meet the ordinary expectations of the consumer.

Prescription drugs and product liability law

In the case of prescription drugs, the most common cause for a product liability claim arises when potentially serious side effects become unreasonably dangerous for consumers. Consumers, due to warnings on the label and instructions from the prescribing doctor, know about most of the adverse side effects of drugs. But sometimes, unknown problems with a particular drug arise that cause injury.

Typically, before being sold on the market, drugs undergo tests with several thousand subjects, which detect the possible side effects. Rare side effects may not emerge until after the drug has been used by a larger number of people. Also, sometimes a known side effect of a drug is actually far more dangerous than what occurs in the clinical trials, or a drug becomes more dangerous when taken in combination with another drug.

A defective or dangerous drug may cause serious injury to an unsuspecting person. Someone who has been injured could benefit from the assistance of a product liability attorney, who may be able to secure compensation from the company at fault.

Article provided by Bley & Evans, LC
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