Writing Assignment #5: Crisis Response

Note: This assignment is about a fictional company and a fictional medication but it is based on a real scenario.

Client: Pharmaceutical Company, Evidia

Situation: Evidia is the manufacturer of a pediatric IV medication called PedSurg that is used in hospitals after go surgery. PedSurg is an IV formulation used for children as a post-surgery treatment to thin blood. Thinning the blood after surgery is critical to prevent blood clotting which can cause life-threatening effects.

Several batches of PedSurg were labeled incorrectly by the manufacturer and confused with an adult post-surgical blood thinner called AdultSurg. A nurse at a hospital that received the mislabeled batch administered AdultSurg to a 10-year-old child. Because AdutSurg is much more potent than PedSurg, the child received a significantly higher dose than his body weight could process. After receiving AdultSurg, the child received emergency treatment and while he is ok, he had to undergo two additional procedures to remove the drug from his body.

Context: Blood thinners are medicines that help blood flow smoothly through your veins and arteries. They also keep blood clots from forming or getting bigger. Blood thinners are frequently used after surgery.

Assignment: Draft a company statement that accomplishes the following:

• Takes responsibility for a potentially deadly situation but does not admit fault
• Explains what happened, while preserving the company’s reputation
• Outlines the steps Evidia is taking to prevent another similar situation

Be sure to attribute the statement to an official from Evidia. You should determine who that person is and what his or her title is. (Give him or her a name and title) This statement should be no more than two paragraphs. You will not need to do outside research on this assignment unless you want to know more about the use of blood thinners post-surgery.

Statement Example – to Consumers

Dear Customer,

Yesterday, we learned that several shipments of our holiday gift baskets contain damaged goods due to an exceptionally turbulent flight they experienced on their way to you.

We are working around-the-clock with our transportation providers and internal teams to ensure your orders are fulfilled prior to the holidays.

At XYZ, we are always looking for ways to better service our customers. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and are working tirelessly to ensure this issue doesn’t happen again.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me at molly@xyzcompany.com.