Drug Recalls and Contamination

Medications, like other consumer products, are subject to design flaws, manufacturing defects, and mislabeling problems that can result in serious problems for people who take them. Thus, the Food and Drug Administration has the authority to issue recalls for drugs that are potentially dangerous. One main type of medication defect is contamination.

When a pharmaceutical company first devises a new medication, it must undergo extensive testing to make sure that it is safe for the populace. It seems like there would only be two pathways--approval or denial. However, sometimes a drug can be approved at first, but then later denied due to dangerous side effects. Once a medication is in wider use rather than in just the testing group, the FDA or pharmaceutical company may recognize that the medicine has the potential to cause other health issues. It can either receive a warning label or get completely recalled. This affects the entire production of the drug.

Besides dangerous side effects, there are several other reasons why the FDA may choose to withdraw specific batches of a drug rather than the entire group. These problems often involve:

Unsafe raw materials Misleading labels Unsterilized packaging Failure to denote allergens in the drug Contamination

Contamination is one of the main reasons for drug recalls. It can occur when foreign particles such as metal shards or rubber particles get trapped in the medication. It can also happen if allergens such as wheat, egg, or other products are used in the stabilizing part of the medication.

A recent contamination issue actually involved a toxic ingredient. Rather than using safe, common glycerin syrup, several batches of drugs were contaminated with a cheaper form of the syrup, diethylene glycol. This was linked to many deaths, but eventually the unsafe contamination was pinpointed.

If you have been hurt by a drug that was later recalled or found to be contaminated, you may be entitled to financial compensation to help you with your pain and suffering.

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