New York Property Owners Challenge Binghamton Fracking Ban
According to a Reuters report, the landowners believe the Binghamton, N.Y., city council and Mayor acted against proper protocol when voting to ban fracking drilling the the city. Instead, they feel the city should have consulted with the Broome County Planning Commission before approving the ban.
EMA Seeks Stronger Pradaxa Guidance for Bleeding Side Effects
Regulators in Europe have again asked Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer of the blood thinner Pradaxa, to update the drug’s label with additional information regarding Pradaxa bleeding side effects. According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the new guidance should include more specific information on when Pradaxa must not be used, ...
Lawsuit Alleges Bi-Lateral DePuy ASR Hip Implant Resulted in Elevated Chromium and Cobalt Levels, Need for Revision Surgery
DePuy Orthopaedics and its parent, Johnson & Johnson, continue to be named in lawsuits by metal-on-metal hip replacement recipients who suffered severe injuries, including elevated chromium and cobalt levels, allegedly due to recalled ASR hip implant devices. Most recently, the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP filed suit on ...
64 More Plavix Patients File Suit Over Bleeding Side Effects
Another Plavix lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 64 Plavix patients who allege bleeding side effects. Plavix (clopidogrel) is a blood thinner prescribed for the prevention of blood clots and heart attacks, and has been linked to serious side effects, such as the heart attacks and strokes it is ...
FDA Metal-On-Metal Hip Replacement Investigation Is Flawed, Researchers Say
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) metal-on-metal hip replacement investigation is flawed, according to researchers.
Smith & Nephew Says Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Controversy Slowing Sales of Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System
Medical device maker Smith & Nephew has reported a drop in sales of its metal-on-metal hip implant devices. According to the company, hip implant sales were down 2 percent during the first quarter of 2012, largely because its Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System suffered from an association with other metal-on-metal hip ...
Tentative Ohio Fracking Regulations Criticized as too Lax
Lawmakers in Ohio have tentatively passed new regulations governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) drilling but they’ve immediately been criticized for being too favorable to the natural gas and oil industries.
Failing DePuy ASR Hip Implants Sending Hundreds of Australians Back to the OR
Roughly 1,000 people in Australia have had to undergo revision surgeries because of failed DePuy ASR hip implants. According to TheAge.com, DePuy Orthopaedics has heard from more than 4,000 people in Australia and New Zealand seeking help with the recalled metal-on-metal hip replacement devices.
New York Man Claims Biomet Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Caused Pain, Disability
A New York man claims his metal-on-metal hip implant was defective and required replacement within a year of receiving it. This has left him facing a lifetime of pain, disability, and rising medical costs.MRI Imaging May Spot Meningitis from Tainted Steroids
Results of new research show that a screening MRI may provide early warning of spinal or paraspinal meningitis in patients who received contaminated steroid injections.
The imaging technique showed abnormalities in 21% (36) of 172 patients screened, according to Dr. Anurag Malani of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., and colleagues, MedPage Today reports. Of the 36 patients screened, all but one met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s definition for probable (17 patients) or confirmed (18 patients) fungal spinal or paraspinal infection. The patients had received methylprednisolone injections from a highly contaminated lot of the steroid, but had not sought medical care related to the injection, the research team reported online in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Continue reading
Johnson & Johnson Wins $16M in Patent Suit with Globus Medical
Globus Medical was ordered to pay Johnson & Johnson over $16 million in damages after a Delaware jury ruled that medical device maker, Globus Medical, violated three of Johnson & Johnson’s patents.
The three Globus products, which have been discontinued, violated patents held by DePuy Synthes, a segment of health care giant, Johnson and Johnson, according to FierceMedicalDevices. Globus indicated that it continues to work through motions that are aimed at reversing the verdict; the court’s formal judgment is pending. Continue reading
Zyprexa Gets FDA Attention Following Two Patient Deaths
Zyprexa is an antipsychotic medication manufactured by Eli Lilly used to treat disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This drug, however, has caught the attention of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when two patients died after receiving the injections. The FDA is now investigating Zyprexa, which is manufactured by Eli Lilly. Continue reading
Despite Prior Objections, Chrysler to Recall 2.7 Million Jeeps
Despite intense objections last week, Chrysler Group has agreed to recall 2.7 million Jeeps. The announcement was made hours before a government deadline on the issue.
In a rare move, Chrysler had defied a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall request maintaining its Jeeps were safe and challenging the regulator’s collision data analysis. The NHTSA said that the rear-mounted gas tanks in 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles are too vulnerable to leaking and could catch on fire in a rear-end crash, according to ABC News previously. Although the NHTSA can call for a recall, the agency requires a court order to enforce that demand. Continue reading
Class Action Lawsuit: Goodman and Amana Air Conditioners Allegedly Violated Consumer Warranties
Since 2007, Goodman and Amana manufactured and sold central air conditioners that are both defective and breach warranties that were not honored, according to a recently filed class action lawsuit.
The complaint indicates that defective evaporator coils cause the air conditioners to work improperly. In fact, the defective evaporator coils “improperly and prematurely leak refrigerant under normal use.” The complaint also states that, “As the air conditioners leak refrigerant, they are unable to function properly and are thus unfit for their ordinary and intended purpose.” Continue reading
Many Popular Medications Contain Cancer-Causing Compounds, May Increase Cancer Risks
Cancer is devastating, killing about 600,000 people every year. Cancer is, in fact, the second-leading cause of death in the United States. Yet, despite consumers’ proactive measures to avoid cancer-causing products, some pharmaceuticals might contain carcinogens, ameliorating the best consumer efforts.
Medications we routinely take may contain dangerous ingredients. Consider that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does mandate that pharmaceutical companies test their products for so-called “carcinogenicity” in animals, yet even if the drugs test positive for increased tumor risks, that does not automatically get those drugs rejected, according to The Gazette. In fact, those very drugs may end up making their way to market. Continue reading
Supreme Court Decision Allows Regulators to Sue Over Generic-Drug Deals
In a decision handed down on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that pharmaceutical companies that pay rivals to keep less-costly generic versions of best-selling drugs off the market can be sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for potential antitrust violations.
The justices, in a 5 to 3 vote, threw out lower-court rulings that said such agreements, called pay-for-delay agreements, are legal, provided they did not keep a generic drug off the market beyond the term of the brand-name drug’s patent, The New York Times reports. Continue reading
InFuse® Bone Graft No Better than Traditional Graft, Review Finds
An independent, dual review, found that Medtronic’s InFuse® product provided limited benefits. The bone graft product was also found to cause potential harm, including a small increased risk of cancer and works no better than traditional bone grafts, according to the review.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved InFuse® in 2002 for use in fusing damaged vertebrae in the lower spine; InFuse® was not approved for use on the upper, or cervical, spine, where it is now widely used, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. In fact, the FDA released a July 1, 2008 notification warning that the InFuse® bone graft had been associated with serious complications, including excessive swelling in the neck, compressed airways, difficulty breathing, problems swallowing, and nerve damage, when used in cervical spinal fusions. Continue reading
Asbestos Continues to Cause Significant Mesothelioma Risks
One case of mesothelioma is proving to be an example of what new generation asbestos lawsuits are looking like.
In one case, the plaintiff suffered from chest pain, traveled nationwide for major surgery, underwent chemotherapy, had to manage debilitating pain, and was dealing with a lawsuit that had not been finalized at the time of his death, according to The Wall Street Journal. His attorneys are suing an array of firms they believe exposed the now-deceased plaintiff to asbestos at some point during his life. Continue reading
European Drug Regulator Urges Caution in Use of Painkiller Diclofenac
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), Europe’s drug regulator, warned on Friday that the painkiller diclofenac, especially in high doses, carries extra heart attack risks, which should be taken into consideration by doctors prescribing the drug.
“Patients who have serious underlying heart or circulatory conditions, such as heart failure, heart disease, circulatory problems or a previous heart attack or stroke, should not use diclofenac,” the EMA said in a statement. The EMA’s warning comes after a large international study showed that long-term, high-dose use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) painkillers such as diclofenac and ibuprofen increases the risk of a major vascular event—heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease—by around a third, Reuters reports. Continue reading
