Every day, people in Maryland and across the country rely on medical products to be effective and clean. When medical products are contaminated with dangerous bacteria, these defective products can cause serious illness and death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the government agency tasked with protecting the public from dangerous drugs and medical products and the agency has the authority to seize tainted or dangerous products in order to safeguard the public health.
The FDA exercised its authority this week and sent U.S. Marshals to the factory of H&P Industries, a company accused of making contaminated medical pads and wipes. When the Marshals arrived to seize products, H&P closed its factory.
Last week, the FDA requested that H&P voluntarily stop making and distributing products. However, it took the arrival of U.S. Marshals for H&P to close.
The closure comes after multiple reports of contaminated products coming from the factory. Some of the reports of contamination are nearly two years old. Last week the FDA released the details of a recent inspection that found widespread problems.
Bacterial contamination was allegedly found in H&P’s antiseptic towelettes and in the materials used to make over the counter drugs and laxatives. A different type of bacterial contamination was detected in the company’s iodine wipes on March 11 and this led to an immediate recall.
H&P’s wipes have been cited in at least three separate lawsuits and have been blamed for the death of a 2-year-old boy. The products have been sold under the Triad Group label as well as under private labels of many stores, including Walgreens, CVS, and Wal-Mart.
Product related injuries can be difficult to detect, but experienced attorneys know how to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, an experienced product liability attorney can advise you of your legal rights and help you seek compensation.
Source: MSNBC.com, “Wipe-maker shuts doors after U.S. Marshals arrive on site,” JoNel Aleccia, 4/4/2011
