Defective Medication

What is Defective Medication?

Defective Medication is a medication that has caused harm to a patient. The term encompasses a range of issues, from manufacturing errors and contamination to inadequate labeling or packaging that can lead to harmful consequences for users. Defective medications can cause adverse reactions, exacerbate existing health conditions, or fail to produce the intended therapeutic effects, thereby compromising a patient’s health or safety.

What is Defective Medication?

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Defective medications pose significant risks to patient safety and can lead to serious adverse events. It is crucial for pharmaceutical manufacturers to adhere strictly to good manufacturing practices to prevent such issues.” As such, it is incredibly important to prosecute defective medication to maintain public trust in pharmaceutical products, ensure patient safety, and uphold regulatory standards that govern drug manufacturing and distribution. 

Claims involving defective drugs fall under product liability law and typically revolve around three types of defects:

• Manufacturing Defects occur when a pharmaceutical drug is improperly manufactured or contaminated during production, harming the patient.
• Design Defects arise when a pharmaceutical drug, although manufactured correctly, causes harm or injury due to its side effects.
• Failure to Warn, when a lack of sufficient or appropriate instructions, warnings, or recommendations regarding the drug’s usage are displayed or given.

Regardless of type, however, defective medication can result in product recalls, lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory scrutiny to prevent similar incidents in the future.