November 12, 2013
When a new drug is going to be introduced to the market, it must first be meticulously tested so that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can decide on what conditions the medication should be approved to treat. The Drug Injury Lawyers with Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel explain that due to a serious risk of injury, it is highly illegal and unethical for drug manufacturers to market their products for the treatment of conditions for which the medication is not approved.
Despite laws against the practice, “off-label marketing” still sometimes occurs. According to an article published by The Street, the FDA cited the Chief Executive Officer for Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Marc Beer, recently for such an offense. Reports indicate that Beer made statements during news interviews that his company’s cholesterol-lowering medication, Juxtapid, can help prevent heart attacks and extend the lives of patients suffering from a disease known as hypercholesterolemia. This genetic condition causes the patient to build up dangerous levels of cholesterol in their blood stream.
The FDA stated that the medication was approved based strictly on trials that the drug lowered patient’s cholesterol levels, and that statements regarding the prevention of heart attacks or extending patient lives were unfounded.
The law firm’s team of Personal Injury Attorneys are aware of the serious harm off-label marketing of drugs can cause patients. That is why the firm urges anyone who was prescribed a medication by a doctor that was not approved to treat their condition discuss their legal rights with an attorney.