While purchasing a generic version of a drug may be a cost effective way to get the medications you need, doing so may present some serious risks. This is because generic drugs are not held to the same manufacturing standards as brand name versions of medications.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a stringent set of rules brand name drug makers must follow when creating their products. These standards include precise measurements of ingredients as well as limits on fillers that can be placed into the product. This creates uniformity to the products that are manufactured.

Generic drugs are made under a different set of standards though, that allow makers to use small variations in the amount of active ingredient that is placed in the drug. This can cause serious hazards to the patient, including the risk of suffering a drug injury.

Take the case that has been brought to light by a doctor from the Cleveland Clinic. In an article from the New York Times Syndicate, the cardiologist explains he saw numerous patients taking a generic version of the drug, AstraZeneca, suffering chest pains. When patients were put back on the brand name version of the drug, the symptoms disappeared.

Now, the two Indian companies who make the generic versions of the drug have announced the voluntary recall of 100,000 units of product due to the medications failing to dissolve and absorb into the patients’ bodies properly.

Problems like these are why the drug injury attorneys with Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel encourage patients to take the brand name version of medications they are prescribed. If you have suffered a drug injury after taking a generic version of a medication though, the firm encourages you to seek qualified legal representation to ensure your potential rights to compensation are protected under the law.