The Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to ensure that consumers are safe from drugs that may have been stolen from pharmaceutical companies.
It’s an issue that the general public probably isn’t all that aware of, and the FDA aims to change that. They have instituted new standard operating procedures that pharmaceutical companies are required to follow in the event of a theft. This includes a full report on the name of the drug, dates of expiration and manufacture, lot numbers, and storage instructions. If a company fails to properly report missing drugs, then the FDA is now within their rights to issue a press release and a possible health alert through their Cargo Theft Response Team.
These measures are being taken to protect public health. The FDA is concerned that stolen drugs will likely not be adequately stored and protected from safety defects, and if these items make their way to the public, the risk to safety could be great. Reporting such theft helps to keep the public informed.
Last year, eight shipments of drugs were stolen, adding up to millions of dollars in damages. This is actually down from 2009, in which 15 shipments were taken for an even greater damage amount.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I’m glad to see steps taken to preserve public safety. Pharmaceutical drug theft is an issue many Americans likely don’t consider on a regular basis, and I hope that perception gets fixed. I understand as a San Francisco personal injury lawyer how these issues affect the country.