General Drug News and Your Rights as a Consumer
In the United States, we trust pharmaceutical companies and government agencies to ensure that our medicine is safe and effective. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, and profits and greed sometimes lead drug companies to engage in unsafe or dishonest practices. In recent times, however, numerous FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)-approved drugs have been found to be unsafe, even after undergoing rigorous testing. If you have been harmed by one of these unsafe drugs, the professionals at Farah & Farah are ready to fight for your rights.
Infamous Cases of FDA Failure
Before the FDA allows a drug to reach the market, it must undergo an extensive approval process. However, there have been critics of this process, and many prominent public figures have grown concerned about the agency’s lax standards. One case involved an anti-influenza drug known as Tamiflu, which was hailed as one of the world’s most effective drugs. The drug was distributed around the world, but as its popularity soared, reports of psychiatric side effects began to emerge. Cases of the following conditions were observed in American, South Korean, and Japanese Tamiflu patients.
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Delirium
• Psychosis
In just a few years, nearly 70 Tamiflu patients had committed suicide. Investigators later found that the maker of the drug had hidden over 100,000 pages of testing information and negative results from dozens of clinical trials from the public. They also found that the FDA was aware of the risk of mental health problems, but allowed the drug to be marketed and distributed anyway.
Hidden Data and Public Health Risks
Throughout the years, lobbyists have attempted to shorten the approval process, claiming that it prevents American drug companies from competing with foreign manufacturers. Such behavior has generated an immense amount of public anger. Critics also point to the fact that drug companies frequently “hide” negative or inconclusive data from the FDA and the public. When they do publish official studies, they tend to focus solely on positive results. This is known as “publication bias” in the pharmaceutical and medical industries.
Weak Links in the FDA Approval and Regulation Processes
Over time, adverse health conditions have been linked to numerous FDA-approved drugs, including the following.
• Seroquel
• Zofran
• Clomid
• Nexium
• Xarelto
• Abilify
Contact Us
If you or someone you care about has been harmed by a dangerous drug, Farah & Farah would love to review your case. You may even be entitled to monetary compensation for pain and suffering. Contact our law office in Jacksonville, Florida to learn more. We can be reached at (800) 533-3555.
