The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the primary agency when new products need to be approved to be sold to consumers.  Medicine and prescription drugs must also be approved by the FDA before it can be distributed to consumers like you and me.

But are drugs, approved at one point, retested to make sure they actually make a difference?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was given more power in 2007 that essentially sped up the process of approving drugs for terminal diseases, but were these drugs rushed through?

According to a new report done by the Government Accountability Office, from 1992 to November 20, 2008, the FDA asked drug makers to finish studies associated with 90 different drugs.  Up until now, those drug makers have only completed two-thirds of those tests.  Fifteen of the studies not finished have been pending for over five years, and a few have been pending for more than eight years.

Could this mean there are some drugs out on the market that aren’t effective?  Could this situation present possible products liability claims?

My San Diego firm’s personal injury lawyers urge government agencies like the FDA to make sure that a product is (a) safe to use and (b) actually does something beneficial to the people that need them.  In 2007, the FDA was given more power to force drug makers to finish their promised studies and penalize companies that don’t.

If the drugs being distributed to patients aren’t doing what they are designed to do, then they can be dangerous to some patients who rely on their medications that they trust because they’ve been approved by a government agency.  If these drugs can products liability issues because they can cause conditions to become worse, they can lead to wrongful death.

All of the applications reviewed by the Government Accountability Office under the program designed to speed drugs to patients with terminal conditions like AIDS and cancer.  This is a potentially risky situation because if a drug is sped through that either doesn’t work or makes a condition worse, then it can make someone’s life worse than it already is.

As a personal injury lawyer, I want new drugs and medications to be approved by the FDA, especially those that go on to help patients with life-threatening conditions.  We do, however, want these drugs to be tested effectively before being rushed to the public.  Rushed drugs can easily become dangerous drugs if they aren’t tested effectively.

When it comes to our health, shouldn’t we be as careful as possible?

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing good advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.