Patients in Texas often rely on necessary medicine to manage chronic conditions. Without it, their quality of life could drastically decrease, or, in extreme cases, they could die. It is also crucial that their medicine works as it is meant to as defective drugs can be just as dangerous as not taking a drug at all. In other cases, a drug could do irreparable harm by being mislabeled. This is the worry of Acella Pharmaceuticals, a drug company that recently issued a recall for a thyroid medication it produces that may contain more medicine than needed.
The pharmaceutical company decided to recall certain thyroid tablets it produces. It was not forced to do so, but decided to take action after testing revealed the pills could contain up to 115% of the amount of the drug that appears on the label. Acella has issued guidelines on exactly which pills are affected and have invited any patients with questions to reach out to the company. It has also said patients should reach out to their physicians to obtain a replacement prescription.
According to company representatives, if patients take the “superpotent” pills, which are normally prescribed for hypothyroidism, it could cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Symptoms include weight loss, rapid heart beat, high blood pressure and more. Pregnant women in particular need to exercise caution, as taking the defective drug could induce a miscarriage or negatively affect development of a fetus.
Though there haven’t yet been any reports of patients experiencing adverse reactions to taking this drug, that does not mean there won’t be. The consequences of taking any kind of defective drug could be devastating for patients. Those here in Texas who have been harmed by a drug that never should have made it to consumers may want to consult an attorney to determine their available legal options.