| The Food and Drug Administration, the agency n | | | | question are taken off the shelves. The |
| charge of regulating the safety of drugs is the Food | | | | pharmaceutical companies should also inform the FDA |
| and Drug Administration, is empowered by the US | | | | on the progress of the recalls until all the dangerous |
| government to review the application of a | | | | drugs are pulled out from the market. |
| pharmaceutical company to manufacture and release | | | | During the drug recall, the FDA assumes the role of a |
| to the market any new drug it develops. The FDA | | | | monitoring agency and to ensure that the |
| also can issue a recall for any drugs that it deems | | | | pharmaceutical company is following all the necessary |
| dangerous for consumers. It also issues valuable | | | | procedures in pulling out all the drugs which have |
| safety information so that the general public would | | | | been found to cause serious side effects. After all |
| know about which drug is unsafe to use. | | | | the drugs have been pulled out, the FDA then would |
| Sometime, however, the important safety | | | | conduct an investigation on why the drug in question |
| information which is being issued regularly by the | | | | was defective and to supervise the destruction of all |
| Food and Drug Administration can be a little bit | | | | the recalled drugs or to make sure that the drugs |
| confusing. It is sometimes full of technical jargon that | | | | are suitably reconditioned before they are |
| the consumer tends to get lost in the meaning of the | | | | reintroduced to the market. |
| words and paragraphs and some mistakes are made | | | | There are three recall categories and these are Class |
| because of this. | | | | I, Class II or Class III. In a Class I recall, the FDA |
| To put it more clearly, the FDA can order a | | | | finds that the drugs in question are causing serious |
| pharmaceutical company to recall what it deems as a | | | | side effects and a probable serious or fatal injury to |
| dangerous drug that is being distributed in the | | | | the user exists and the drug has to be pulled out |
| market. The pharmaceutical company can also do it | | | | right away from the market. The Class II recall tells |
| voluntarily if it finds out that the drugs in question are | | | | of a probability of injury to the user although not |
| causing major side effects. | | | | necessarily fatal but still one that can cause |
| As soon as the recall is made by the FDA, the | | | | permanent damage to the user. The Class III injury |
| pharmaceutical companies must take full responsibility | | | | meanwhile tells of a lesser, albeit, probable health |
| with regards to the pullout of these dangerous drugs | | | | risks which is why the drug is being recalled. |
| and it also thoroughly checks that all the drugs in | | | | |