What tangible safety risk arises if a drug precipitates or chemically degrades, meaning the condition being treated goes unmanaged?
Therapeutic Failure
Therapeutic Failure represents the direct clinical consequence when the patient does not receive the intended, active dose of medication due to physical or chemical breakdown prior to administration. If a drug precipitates out of solution, it cannot be delivered, or if chemical degradation occurs, the active ingredient is destroyed before it reaches its target site. In either case, the underlying medical condition the medication was prescribed to treat remains unmanaged or inadequately controlled. This failure necessitates immediate intervention, potentially involving restarting a different therapy, conducting further diagnostic tests, or escalating treatment intensity, which subsequently contributes to other burdens like increased healthcare costs.
