Attorney
Our blog post on Wednesday illustrated how common prescription drug use is in the United States. American’s dependence on prescription drugs has become a large profit base for drug manufacturers. When drug makers put profit above patient safety, defective drugs make their way onto the market.
A prescription can drug can become “defective” in a number of ways, including:
- Improper labeling
- Dangerous ingredients
- Exaggerated claims by the manufacturer
- Manufacturer fails to disclose risks and known side effects of the drug
- Manufacturer marketed the drug for use outside the scope of FDA approval
- Doctors prescribing the drug for off-label uses
The oral contraceptive Yaz or Yasmin has been in the news a lot over the past year. It is an example of the drug maker, Bayer, marketing it as an acne medication and doctors prescribing it as an acne medication to women who were not sexually active. In addition, Bayer failed to disclose the drug’s link to strokes and blood clots in women who took the contraceptive.
Unfortunately, it usually takes a number of injuries and reports to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before consumers know of a potentially defective drug.
Has a doctor prescribed you a drug for off-label use? Call our team today to explore your options.
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia Injury Attorneys