Recalled drug alert: Do you take levothyroxine and liothyronine?
Levothyroxine and liothyronine are drugs that countless Americans depend on for their health and well-being. Doctors use these medications to treat hypothyroidism, a condition that develops when a patient’s thyroid no longer functions to produce the right amount of thyroid hormone. Levothyroxine and liothyronine (also called LT4 and LT3) offer synthetic thyroid hormone support to normalize the hormone balance in patients’ bodily systems.
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced potential dangers related to levothyroxine and liothyronine, produced by Westminster Pharmaceuticals, which manufacturers the drugs using a base product provided by a Chinese manufacturing facility. According to the FDA, the manufacturing facility in China failed to meet its standards. The FDA is denying entry for these Chinese ingredients to the United States and will continue to do so until the manufacturer improves the standards it upholds at its production facility.
Although 37 lots of levothyroxine and liothyronine have now been recalled by Westminster Pharmaceuticals, there has not been any reports of individuals who suffered serious or fatal injuries as a result of taking these medicines. Nevertheless, consumers who take levothyroxine and liothyronine have been warned to consult with their doctors to find a solution that allows them to replace these drugs with a product that doesn’t pose a potential danger to their health.
Pharmaceutical companies are held to strict standards by the FDA, but these companies and the FDA are not flawless in their ability to uphold and enforce these standards. If you suspect that you may have been seriously injured by a dangerous or defective pharmaceutical product, learn about your legal rights and options by speaking with a Sacramento personal injury attorney as soon as possible.