Washington Dangerous Drug Attorney

Testing New Drugs

While clinical trials are supposed to help prove the safety of the drug, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) points out that there are some flaws to be aware of. For example, clinical trials do not take into account that patients will probably be on other types of medication. Therefore, there is no way of determining all the side effects that could occur. Additionally, the chances of discovering a rare side effect is slim since the number of participants involved in the human trials is significantly smaller than the number of people who will be given a prescription for the drug.

How Drugs Are Regulated

The FDA takes the task of verifying a medication’s safety very seriously. There are multiple steps the agency follows in order to discover any risks that may be associated with the drug. A few aspects of the testing include:

• Evaluation of testing results by multiple professionals in various industries to determine if the medication is suitable for distribution.
• Human testing in closely monitored situations to determine side effects and overall safety.
• Animal and laboratory testing to determine whether or not the drug is safe to be used in clinical trials.

Once a drug has been approved for sale, the FDA continues to evaluate the effectiveness of the medicine as well as the side effects reported by users. There are entire agencies devoted to the reporting and evaluation of conditions that may develop as a result of medical reactions.

Why a Washington Dangerous Drug Attorney is Necessary 

Although FDA testing of new drugs is thorough and complete, sometimes there still can be unforeseen side effects associated with a medication. Unfortunately, the process to change warning labels and discourage distribution is often a difficult and lengthy one, all while more people may be suffering the ill effects of bad drugs.

Sometimes drug makers fail to disclose known side effects of their drugs, or they do not adequately test their drugs for side effects that are both serious and relatively widespread among people who take the drugs. Drug makers have also been accused of promoting drugs for uses not approved by the FDA (a practice known as “off label” promotion), and without having tested their drugs for these off-label uses. Pharmaceutical companies who have been accused of this practice have paid billions of dollars to the U.S. government in criminal fines and civil penalties.

Aside from government regulation, drugs are products, and as such they are subject to the law of product liability. A drug can be considered bad when it is found to be defective in its design or manufacturer, and when that defect renders it unreasonably dangerous. When these drugs cause injury, injured parties may be eligible to seek compensation for their injuries from the drug companies.

Attorneys are alleging serious injuries and other complications in Washington dangerous drug lawsuits being filed on behalf of affected patients.