FDA Focus: Recalling dangerous and defective drugs

In a monthly FDA-focused blog published exclusively by The Pharma Letter, Dr Nicola Davies looks at how the FDA is responsible for recalling dangerous drugs.

The pharmaceutical industry manufactures different kinds of drugs with the intention of giving people the chance to live better quality and longer lives. In 2013, it is estimated that the industry supplied drugs worth $329 billion to US consumers. Each and every drug manufactured and sold in the USA is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency responsible for approving drugs before the general public start using it.

Regrettably, even with this supervision, some manufacturers produce drugs that can be defective, as well as dangerous – and even life threatening. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that pharmaceutical drugs cause more than 40,000 fatalities every year. Recent research by the CDC revealed that over 50% of all drugs sold in the US can potentially cause detrimental consequences, in spite of the FDA’s approval.