Modern medicine has come a long way in recent years, and it’s extraordinary to see some of the breakthroughs that have been made, with new vaccines for emerging viruses developed at rapid rates and bold new treatment methods being developed to treat serious diseases and conditions across the globe.

These many developments are helping to save so many lives, as well as helping people live longer and more comfortably in general, and it seems that there’s a drug or medication for almost every ailment imaginable, even those that can’t fully be cured.

These drugs have to undergo thorough testing before being released to the public at large, and these tests are designed to ensure that every medication is safe for widespread use. In the vast majority of cases, the process works, but every now and then, some drugs slip through the cracks and cause harm, so they have to be recalled. This guide will help you understand more about drug recalls. 

What Are Drug Recalls?

Drug recalls are emergency procedures in which drugs (which may be either prescription or over-the-counter) are removed from sale in stores and taken out of pharmacy inventories. A commonly cited example from recent times is the recall of Zantac, a popular heartburn medication that is believed to contain a carcinogenic ingredient.

What Is the Reasoning Behind Recalls?

There are many possible reasons why a drug might need to be recalled, and even though many people tend to fear the worst in these situations, there are actually many cases where drugs get recalled for relatively mundane reasons like a misprint on the packaging or the simple fact that the drug doesn’t really work as well as intended, so not every drug recall is a cause for alarm. Here are some possible reasons behind a recall:

• Health Threat – The most worrying kind of drug recall is when a drug has to be taken off shelves due to the fact that it poses an actual risk or threat to human health. The Zantac case is one example of this, and there are various other situations in which drugs have gotten recalled due to the fact that they contain ingredients that may be dangerous or are found to have unexpected and harmful side effects in certain users.
• Functionality – In some situations, a medication might get recalled because it doesn’t act as intended or as marketed on the packaging. For example, if you take a pill hoping that it will rid you of a headache, but it doesn’t actually have any such effect, the pill may be described as being a misleading and ineffective product.
• Packaging – There are various cases in which drugs and medications are removed from sale due to errors or design issues with their packaging. One famous case from recent times involved some products being recalled because the packaging closely resembled a juice pouch and might have been easily mistaken for a beverage by a young child. Other cases involve simple misprints or other packaging errors.

What to Do When Recalls Happen

There are several key steps to take if you hear about a recall regarding a drug that you, a family member, or someone else you know is taking.

• Find Out More – The first step is usually to find out more about the reasoning behind the recall, as this will help you learn whether or not the drug is actually safe to use. If it’s just being recalled because of a packaging error, you don’t need to worry and rush to the doctor, for example, but if there is a health hazard, then you may need to seek medical advice.
• Take Appropriate Action – Following on from the previous point, it’s important to respond appropriately according to the information regarding the recall. If you find that a product is being removed from sale because of a health risk and you have been prescribed the product or have been taking it regularly, speaking with your doctor will help you get the right advice.
• Spread the Word – It’s also recommended to spread the word when you hear about drug recalls, as this kind of news can be slow to spread in some circles. Telling people you know about the issue could help them to stay safe and stop taking a drug that might be doing them harm.

Conclusion

Drug recalls can seem quite scary at first, but as this guide shows, there are many situations where recalls occur for reasons that shouldn’t cause too much immediate concern.