Some “Defective” Prescription Drugs Simply Don’t Work

Drug manufacturing giant Eli Lilly and Company pulled their sepsis drug, Xigris, off of hospital shelves across the world after a new study revealed that the drug does not improve the mortality rate of patients battling sepsis. The drug, which was initially approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001 and had sales of $100 million worldwide last year, simply did not do what it was advertised to do.
When most people think about defective prescription drugs, they think about medicine that does more harm than good or medicine that has dangerous side effects. However, some defective drugs simply don't work.
How common are ineffective prescription drugs? They are all too common. Here are just a few recent headlines regarding drugs that don't work:
  • In April, researchers found that the common Alzheimer's drug Namenda (generic drug memantine) was totally ineffective in treating patients with the disease, despite the fact that the FDA approved the drug. 
  • In September, a study found that antipsychotic drugs used to treat those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were absolutely not effective, though tens of thousands of returning soldiers have been prescribed these drugs to treat their combat-related mental illnesses. 
  • In 2008, researchers found that ezetimibe, a drug that inhibits the uptake of cholesterol, was ineffective in reducing the risk of heart disease in patients. The drug made profits of $1.5 billion in 2006 alone.
While it can be easy to pinpoint defective drugs that cause harmful side effects, it can be more difficult to discover that the prescription drug you are taking is ineffective. However, you should understand that if you are taking an ineffective prescription drug, the manufacturer of the drug should be held accountable, the drug should be taken off of the market, and medical professionals should be notified of its ineffectiveness.
Have you been harmed because a prescription drug you were given was found to be ineffective by scientists or researchers? Contact a North Carolina dangerous drugs lawyer at Brent Adams & Associates today to learn whether or not you may have a North Carolina defective drug legal case.