When you go to pick up a prescription, there are some common steps you should expect to go through. You should ask to speak with a pharmacist if you need more clarification about your medication; you should make sure you have received the right prescription; you should then read the directions very carefully to ensure you are complying with your doctor’s orders.
However, all of this can ultimately be for naught if the drug you are given is unsafe or contaminated. Unfortunately, far too many patients experience this situation when they receive tainted or incorrect medication from a pharmacy.
When people think about medication errors, they often think about those made in a hospital setting or by doctors who slip up when writing a prescription. However, there are many instances in which the mistake is made right behind the counter of a pharmacy.
For instance, recently in another state, it was revealed that thousands of people were exposed to an infection after picking prescriptions up at a contaminated pharmacy in a hospital. Records showed that proper safety precautions were not taken to keep the environment sterile.
The compounding pharmacy, which is a lab that makes the drugs doctors prescribe for patients, was supposed to be overseen by a woman who evidently failed to do the proper checks. While this woman was fired, more than 7,000 patients are believed to have been exposed to an infection as a result of the failed infection control.
This is just one example of how patients can be harmed by negligent practices in relation to drug manufacturing and preparation. Before you have a drug in your hand, it has been handled by many other parties first. This can make it very complicated to identify where along that chain a failure occurred.
However, you don’t need to do this alone. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed by a contaminated or faulty drug, you can work with an attorney to identify the negligent party and take legal action.
