Despite the FDA’s best intentions, there are many pharmaceutical drugs on the market that are defective and potentially dangerous for consumption. A drug is legally defined as “defective” when it causes physical, psychological, or emotional injuries that are more substantial than the benefits granted. These injuries can be caused by a defect in the drug itself, improper labeling procedures/prescribing techniques, or insufficient product warnings.
Defective drugs can be defined as either prescription drugs or over-the-counter drugs. They may not affect all patients adversely. Oftentimes the danger in such drugs doesn’t become apparent until a patient has taken the drug for quite a few years. Many drug-related symptoms appear gradually and begin as minor, common side effects that can be difficult to trace.
Unfortunately, this delay also often makes defective-drug related illnesses and injuries difficult to treat. If you or a loved one has suffered physical, psychological, or emotional damage from a drug that you feel is defective, you need a trustworthy Louisville defective drug recall lawyer on your side. Thomas Law Offices is here to help the victim get back on their feet and help force drug companies and the FDA to take appropriate action in order to protect other potential victims.
Common Defective Drugs
There are a wide variety of potentially dangerous drugs on the market that are defective and incorrectly labeled and/or improperly advertised. Here is a partial list of some of the most dangerous drugs on the market today (see here for a complete list):
- Accutane®
- Bextra®
- Byetta®
- Chantix®
- Cipro®
- Cox-2 Inhibitors
- Crestor®
- Darvocet
- Depakote
- Depo-Provera®
- Digitek®
- Ephedra
- Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents
- Gadolinium
- Gardasil®
- GranuFlo®
- Heparin®
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Hydroxycut®
- Kugel® Hernia Patch
The above list is not extensive. With as many new medications that are being approved for market placement every day, a full list of potentially-defective drugs must be updated constantly. Here is one such list.
Other drugs not listed may be a candidate for a drug-related lawsuit as well, depending on the drug’s history and any current investigations the FDA might have open.
The Realities of Defective Drug Recalls
In many cases, the above drugs have been under the FDA’s scrutiny for years already and may have suffered recalls. Oftentimes these recalls aren’t enough to force the drug off the market, however, and result in additional warning labels placed on the medication instead. Pharmaceutical companies are often given multiple options when it comes to drug recalls. Unfortunately, politics also play a large role in today’s pharmaceutical industry which makes recalling some of the above drugs quite difficult.
FDA regulations currently require that unless a particular drug’s risks do not outweigh the potential benefits of the drug, that drug can remain on the market as long as all potential side effects are made known. This is one reason why seeking legal aid for damages caused from defective drugs is recommended—both for the health and recuperative efforts of those affected, but also to help ensure that these dangerous drugs don’t cause additional unnecessary harm to the general public.
Tad Thomas, a drug recall and personal injury lawyer for the Louisville, KY area, firmly believes that the general public has a right to be well-informed about drugs that are potentially defective and dangerous. When drugs have caused serious harm to unsuspecting patients, he also believes that it’s time for the law to step in and keep those drugs off the market.
If you have any questions about defective drugs or drug-related lawsuits, don’t hesitate to contact Louisville, KY defective drug recall lawyer Tad Thomas to find out everything you need to know in order to receive the help you deserve. Thomas Law Offices also offers free case evaluations online for your convenience.