Drug companies create medications every day, but not every drug they create is safe. Manufacturers are supposed to make sure that medications are properly developed, tested, and labeled for usage. But sometimes, companies can be negligent in their manufacturing or labeling of medications.
How Defective Drugs Can Harm Victims
Medications (whether prescription or over-the-counter) have the potential to cause great harm to your health. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been tasked with regulating the manufacture and distribution of medications throughout the United States. While rigorous testing is required before drugs go to market, sometimes medications still cause harm to consumers.
Medications can injure victims in a number of ways, including:
- Improper labeling, causing consumers to take the wrong dose, leading to health issues or even wrongful death
- Not doing the job they are marketed to do, such as being treated with a cancer drug that does not actually treat cancer
- Design or manufacturing errors, perhaps harming consumers because the ingredients themselves cause health hazards
- Interfering with other medications being taken
No matter what caused your injuries, you can seek compensation through the injury claim process. Waiting to pursue compensation for your injuries could result in an inability to seek damages because there are time limitations for filing cases. For instance, the wrongful death statute of limitations in Louisiana is generally two years (CC Art. 2315.2).
