I-Team: Generic Drug Legal Loophole Puts Patients At Risk

BOSTON (CBS) – Most insurance companies require us to take cheaper, generic drugs when they are available, but the I-Team discovered a major drawback to these medicines that doctors and pharmacists don’t warn their patients about. If patients are harmed by the drugs, they have little or no recourse in a court of law. The Steele family of Foxboro is hoping their story will help make a meaningful change for thousands of Massachusetts residents who take generic drugs. Rowan Steele was born last November, two-and-a-half months early. But that wasn’t the biggest hurdle she would face. She had a congenital heart defect; a condition her mother was devastated to learn may be connected to a drug she took for morning sickness. “It will be with me for the rest of my life that I made that choice, because look what it did to her,” a teary Alisa Steele said. Alisa and Rowan Steele (WBZ-TV) Alisa took Ondansetron, the generic form of Zofran. The drugs are chemically identical and are approved by the FDA to treat nausea in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It’s also used for post-operative nausea. The drugs have never been tested on or approved for use in pregnant women but are commonly prescribed off-label to treat severe morning sickness. Boston attorney Kimberly Dougherty believes the drugs can be dangerous. “We’ve seen horrible amounts of different types of injuries,” she said. Dougherty has clients who have been affected ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health i-Team Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Generic Drugs Lauren Leamanczyk Source Type: news