The Food and Drug Administration is a government department that reviews the safety of American products such as prescription drugs in order to protect consumer health. When the FDA believes that a specific medication has significant consequences that outweigh the benefits, it can issue a recall, alerting consumers, doctors, and drug companies of the problem. These alerts are then used by the company to withdraw the drug, modify it, or correct the specific issue.

A recall is a much more serious action by the FDA and these generally fall into one of several categories. The first of these is a Class III recall which pertains to a product that has a risk but will most likely not cause harm. Class II involves a medication or other product that could potentially cause temporary or reversible damage. Class I is the most serious and indicates a risk of permanent injury or death.

A number of popular drugs have a history of one or more recalls, including the pain medication Vioxx, which was recalled when it was believed that the drug causes more harm than good. Because of this danger, Vioxx is no longer available for prescription in this country.

The FDA issues alerts and recalls in order to protect your health and the safety of American consumers as a whole. It's important to pay close attention to these warnings and to make sure that you speak with your physician about any potential dangers if one of your medications proves unsafe. If you are concerned about your rights as a consumer in light of FDA alerts and recalls, make sure to speak with an experienced defective drug attorney today.