Once prescription medications are approved for over-the-counter (OTC) use, the harmful side effects are not always advertised to the public, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association via a HealthDay.com article. This is because the drug is no longer regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Instead, it is the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who regulates the advertisements for OTC medicine. The FTC standards tend to be less stringent than those of the FDA. The FDA requires drug advertisers to offer consumers a “fair balance” of both the positive and negative qualities of a drug. Generally, this includes the company offering an extensive listing of the side-effects.
As a result, pamphlets, commercials, and other marketing materials may leave out important information regarding the risks of taking the medication. Take, for instance, Claritin, a drug that was once available only through prescription.
When this and certain other medications were only available by prescription, 70 percent of advertisements included information on potential risks. Now available OTC, just 11 percent of the advertisements contain the same warnings, according to the study.
One of the study’s authors argues that either the FDA should regulate OTC medicines or that the FTC should raise its safety standards. Essentially, listing the risks in an easy-to-read and access manner will help the consuming public exponentially. However, until that is the rule rather than the exception, you have dangerous drug lawyers in New York and beyond to fight for your rights with a claim.
Failing to include warnings about the harmful effects of a medication could lead to an individual filing a claim if he or she is injured by the product. If you believe this is your situation, you should talk with a New York dangerous drug lawyer from Gacovino, Lake & Associates at 800-246-HURT (4878).
