How Dangerous Drugs Reach Georgia Consumers
People rely on prescription drugs and medical products every single day to treat diseases, fight pain and maintain a higher standard of living. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that as many as three billion prescriptions are written each year. But as much as we have come to rely on these products and expect them to be safe to use, every year over 200,000 people die in the United States due to adverse reactions to prescription medications.
FDA Approval is No Guarantee of Safety
What about the regulations that are supposed to keep us safe? Unfortunately for every consumer there is growing evidence that many drugs and pills marketed towards the general public are inherently dangerous and that their producers know it. As a matter of fact, in the past twenty years the number of recalls on the medications that we take has dramatically increased.
Pharmaceutical companies often spend years if not decades developing new drugs to sell. Only a tiny percentage of the medications that are developed will ever actually reach the human testing phase of clinical trials and an even smaller percentage of those tested drugs will be approved by the FDA. Pharmaceutical companies are supposed to test for adverse side effects and report them to the FDA. However, due to financial pressures, many pharmaceutical companies hide or downplay the side effects that new drugs have on people in order to better the chances of gaining approval.
In recent years medical manufacturers have turned to marketing drugs for uses for which they were not originally approved. We here at Cash, Krugler & Fredericks are familiar with this phenomenon. Medical manufacturers repurposing already approved drugs for alternative uses typically result in side effects previously not encountered in testing and unexpected complications, all in the name of turning a profit.
These adverse side effects are not limited only to pharmaceutical drugs. Medical devices, like artificial hips for hip replacements and the contrast dye used in MRIs, can also cause severe side effects in the patients who receive them. In these two cases, evidence seems to point to the fact that the manufacturers knew of these side effects but continued to market these medical materials as safe and effective. These deceptive practices by medical manufacturers put everyone at risk for serious life altering disabilities and even death.
Injured by a Dangerous Drug or Medical Device? We Can Help
Consumers have a reasonable expectation that the drugs and medical devices they use are safe. In order to make an informed decision, though, consumers need all the facts. Deceptive and unsafe practices by medical manufacturers put everyone at risk for serious injury and death. We here at Cash, Krugler & Fredericks are well versed in pursuing companies for their negligent practices that put the general public at risk. If you reside in Georgia and have been injured due to an unsafe drug or medical device, do not hesitate to contact us to better learn about your rights and how you may recover. Contact us today at (404) 659-1710 for a consultation.
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