When it comes to medicines, both patients must put a great deal of trust in their doctors’ judgment-and doctors, in turn, must trust that the drugs they prescribe will perform as expected. To ensure quality, drug manufacturers are required by the FDA to test their drugs according to FDA standards, and must warn of any adverse side effects. But as Pennsylvania product liability lawyer knows, an impurity or defect in the manufacturing process can impair the drug’s performance, and can even be fatal.
Drug manufacturer Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals recently issued a recall for the generic versions of the widely-used cholesterol drug Lipitor. The recall is due to the possible presence of particles of glass in the drugs, which were manufactured in India. Representatives from Ranbaxy and the Food and Drug Administration stated that they did not know of any health problems caused by the glass in the drugs. This is not the first time that this pharmaceutical company has drawn scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration due to manufacturing defects; the same drug was the subject of a small recall in August.
A person who has been injured by a defective product may be able to recover damages in a product liability suit. Drug manufacturers must test their drugs and medicines prior to putting them on the market. Where a manufacturer fails to properly test their products, they may be liable.
The generic version of the drug is called atorvastatin calcium, and the recall is for 10, 20 and 40-milligram tablets. Patients who have been prescribed a generic version of atorvastatin calcium should contact their pharmacy. Pharmacists can then determine if the pills are part of the recall.
Source: WFMJ.com, “Ranbaxy recalls generic Lipitor doses,” Linda A. Johnson, Nov. 23, 2012