Avandia Recall and the Risk of Death by Prescription Drug: the Dangers of Medication Errors and Unsafe Drug Recalls

Drugs are dangerous and drugs can kill. This isn't news. However, what many people don't realize is how dangerous medications -- prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter drugs and generic drugs -- can prove fatal. In fact, the Federal Drug Administration ("FDA") monitors drugs in this country, and between recalls of dangerous drugs and medication errors involving otherwise safe drugs - the FDA studies are showing that the dangers of medications are simply skyrocketing.

Drug Recalls - diabetes drug AVANDIA is just the latest example

There are a shocking amount of drugs (see the list below) that are released to the American public for their use and consumption, only to be recalled because they are not safe -- and tragically, these recalls usually occur only after a large number of people across the country have been seriously injured and hurt - or even killed - because they have trusted the professionals, and used the drug.

The FDA not only approves drugs for the marketplace, both prescription as well as over-the-counter, but the FDA also oversees recalls of medications. In fact, the FDA keeps an online reference site for use by health care providers, manufacturers, and the public at large - a site so technologically advanced it even has a mobile phone app, so you can be apprised very, very fast with the latest recall information.

For example, within the past two weeks, the FDA has warned against the use of AVANDIA (tm) (rosiglitazone) because of a potential " ...elevated risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, in patients treated with Avandia."

Medication Errors

It's not just unsafe drugs that are a growing problem. The FDA has found that medication errors - errors by doctors, pharmacists, or patients - kill people at a surprising rate. FDA studies show that of medical error deaths, improper dosage caused the most deaths (41%); administering the wrong drug came in second; and an improper route of administering the drug caused the third highest number of fatalities.

Furthermore, more than half of those who die from medication errors are 60+ years old, usually having prescriptions for a number of different medications. Kids are also at high risk here: they are given drugs based upon their weight; do the math wrong and a fatality can likely result.

List of Dangerous Drugs

The news media has made some drugs almost household names, not because of their curative effects, but because of their often dangerous (if not fatal) effects. You may recognize many of the names on this list, with Avandia only being one of many that the FDA (and injured plaintiffs in lawsuits) have discovered to be capable of serious injury and harm:

• Accutane
• Ambien
• Aredia
• Avandia
• Baycol
• Benzene
• Beryllium
• Bextra
• Celebrex
• Celexa
• Cialis
• Crestor
• Darvon / Darvocet
• Digitek / Digoxin
• Duragesic Patch
• Effexor
• Ephedra
• Evista
• Fluvoxamine
• Fosamax
• Gleevec
• Kugel Mesh Patch
• Levitra
• Lexapro
• Meridia
• Mirapex
• Neurontin
• NuvaRing
• Ortho Evra Patch
• Paxil
• Perchlorate
• Prempro
• Promethazine HCl
• Prozac
• ReNu with MoistureLoc
• Risperdal
• Seroquel
• Serzone
• Symbyax
• Tequin
• Triaminic Vapor Patch
• Trasylol
• Viagra
• Vioxx
• Yaz
• Zoloft
• Zometa
• Zyprexa

For more information:

If you have concerns or questions. please feel free to leave a comment or send an email -- or contact the FDA Consumer Affairs Branch (CBER) as shown below:

phone:

(800) 835-4709

(301) 827-1800

email:

ocod@fda.hhs.gov

or write them at:

Division of Communication and Consumer Affairs

Office of Communication, Outreach and Development

Food and Drug Administration

1401 Rockville Pike

Suite 200N/HFM-47

Rockville, MD 20852-1448

By Bryant Esquenazi on October 5, 2010 1:10 PM