Study Linking Z-Pak to Increased Death Risk Being Reviewed by FDA
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing a new study that reported an increased risk of sudden, heart-related deaths among people using the antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin), known popularly as Z-Pak. In a statement issued late yesterday, the FDA said patients being treated with Zithromax should not stop taking ...
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 ...
First Bard Avaulta Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Scheduled for February Trial in MDL
The first test trials in the federal C.R. Bard Avaulta transvaginal mesh litigation will most likely start next year, according to a report from Bloomberg News. About 600 lawsuits involving Bard Avaulta transvaginal mesh products are currently pending in the multidistrict litigation underway Charleston, West Virginia. U.S. District Judge Joseph ...
Actos Side Effects Lawyers Says Whistleblower Revelations Could Boost Bladder Cancer, Heart Failure Lawsuits
An attorney with a prominent personal injury law firm says an Actos whistleblower lawsuit filed earlier this year could strengthen legal claims alleging the type 2 diabetes medication caused some users to develop bladder cancer and heart failure.
Canadian Study Finds Actos Raises Bladder Cancer Risk by 22 Percent
Yet another study is confirming the association between the diabetes drug, Actos, and bladder cancer. This latest research, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that taking Actos raised the risk of bladder cancer among diabetics by about one-fifth.
Pradaxa not Fit for a Dog, Family of Alleged Pradaxa Bleeding Victim Claims
The family of a Texas woman who died just months before her 60th wedding anniversary believes she would be alive today were it not for Pradaxa (dabigatran). According to a report from the Houston Press, Pradaxa patient Loraine Franklin fell and hit her head last December, resulting in an intracranial ...
Federal Judge Certifies Medtronic Infuse Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit
A shareholder lawsuit alleging Medtronic Inc. illegally promoted the off-label use of its Infuse bone growth product has been granted class action status by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson of Minnesota. According to a report from Law360.com, the Medtronic Infuse off-label promotion lawsuit was filed by several institutional investors on ...
Medtronic Infuse Studies Faulted for Downplaying Side Effects
Medtronic Inc.’s published studies for its Infuse bone graft product may have downplayed serious side effects, according to an analysis published last year in The Spine Journal. The study, which drew on U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) documents and other data sources, suggests that up to half of ...
Bayer Yaz, Yasmin Blood Clot Lawsuit Settlements Stand at $147 Million
Bayer AG reported yesterday that it continues to settle Yaz and Yasmin birth control pill lawsuits. According to a report from Bloomberg News, the company said in its latest Stockholder Newsletter that it has settled 651 Yaz and Yasmin blood clot lawsuits for a total of $147 million. The average ...Man Alleges Taking Actos for Two Years Caused Bladder Cancer
A South Dakota man is the latest to bring a lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Type 2 diabetes drug, Actos (pioglitazone). The plaintiff alleges that taking Actos for two years caused him to develop bladder cancer.
Actos was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999.
According to the complaint, the man began taking Actos in January 2009; he developed bladder cancer in May 2011, allegedly due to his having taken Actos. At the time of his diagnosis, he stopped taking the medication. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were aware that taking Actos could lead to an increased risk of bladder cancer, but failed to disclose this information to the man, his doctor, and consumers. The plaintiff is suing for extensive pain and suffering and severe emotional distress. Continue reading
Parker Waichman LLP Takes on Credit Card Companies, Fights for Small Business
National law firm, Parker Waichman LLP, and co-counsel just filed an objection to the passage of a proposed $7.25 billion settlement of a price-fixing case brought against Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. over credit card transaction fees. Co-counsel—both based in Little Rock, Arkansas—are Duncan Firm P.A. and Thrash Law Firm P.A.
The settlement has drawn criticism from trade associations and retailers that argue that the settlement grants credit card companies too much leeway to raise future rates, according to Bloomberg News. Continue reading
GranuFlo, NaturaLyte Maker Faces Center Closure Following Patient Deaths, Poor Infection Control Standards
A dialysis center owned by Fresenius Medical Care North America has shut down following infection-related deaths and hospitalizations.
The Bessemer Kidney Center is one of one dozen dialysis centers in Alabama that are owned by Fresenius Medical Care. This center was shut down earlier this month following two patient deaths and other patient hospitalizations that occurred over a matter of days, according to AL.com. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alabama Department of Public Health are investigating. Continue reading
DEP Drilling Review Reveals Water Damage, Questionable Testing Methods
A recently released drilling review found water damage and questionable testing methods in many cases when oil and gas activity were involved.
State environmental regulators found, according to a Times-Tribune/The Sunday Times report, that between 2008 – 2012, oil and gas development activity harmed water supplies for some 161 Pennsylvania homes, farms, churches, and businesses based on nearly 1,000 determination letters and enforcement orders written by Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials and obtained by the media outlet. Determination letters are sent to water supply owners who seek state inspections into whether or not oil and gas drilling activities polluted their well water or impacted the water flow to their wells, according to the Times-Tribune. Continue reading
Ohio Nursing Home Employee Charged with Patient Abuse
On May 13 a Montgomery County, Ohio, grand jury indicted a Dayton nursing home employee on a felony charge of patient abuse.
Norma Black, 70, is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on May 28. She is charged with hitting a patient at the Arbors at Dayton Subacute and Rehabilitation Center in Dayton, whiotv.com reports. According to the indictment, the abuse occurred in March 2012. Continue reading
Cell Phone Radiation Leads to New Concerns
While study results have been mixed over the issue of cell phones and the radiation they emit and the dangers they present, some credible experts are taking another look at the ubiquitous devices.
A nurse at the brain injury unit of a physical rehabilitation hospital told CBS58 News that in the past year she has seen more brain tumor injuries in younger patients. A Milwaukee attorney told CBS58 that his now-deceased friend “developed brain cancer on the side of his head where he typically used the cell phone.” Continue reading
Metro-North Connecticut Collision Leaves Dozens Injured, Some Critically
Dozens were injured following a derailment and crash involving two Metro-North Railroad trains near Fairfield, Connecticut during Friday’s rush hour.
So far, 60 people have been reported as injured and five of those injuries have been classified as critical, according to The New York Times. Since, the Northeast traffic corridor has been severely hampered, with Amtrak operations between New York and Boston suspended over the weekend. Continue reading
Bean Bag Chairs Recalled Over Suffocation, Strangulation Hazards
About 6,300 Anywhere Lounger Bean Bag Chairs have been recalled, according to a just-released U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announcement issued in cooperation with Powell Company, the chair’s manufacturer.
The recalled Anywhere Lounger Bean Bag Chairs were constructed without a permanent zipper closure, which allows young children to unzip the bean bag chair and to ingest or inhale the small beads inside the chair. This, says the CPSC, poses a suffocation and strangulation hazard. No incidents or injuries have been reported, to date. Continue reading
Avon Recalls Microwave Popcorn Makers Over Burn, Fire Hazards
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced a recall issued by Avon for microwave popcorn makers.
Some 55,000 Avon Microware Popcorn Makers that were sold in the United States are being recalled over the potential for fire and burns, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The recalled Avon popcorn makers retailed for about $13 and were sold in the United States through Avon’s website and Avon sales representatives from October through February, the AP said. Continue reading
Another Ethicon Vaginal Mesh Device Lawsuit Filed Over Serious Injuries
A Mississippi woman alleges, in a recently filed lawsuit, that she suffered injuries caused by Ethicon Inc.’s transvaginal mesh device. The woman alleges the injuries are a result of Ethicon’s Prolift and TVT sling and that these products are defective.
According to this complaint, the woman was implanted with the Prolift and TVT sling on November 20, 2008. The lawsuit alleges that the device makers knew about the risks associated with Ethicon’s Proflift and TVT sling and failed to warn the woman, her doctor, and other consumers. She is suing for negligence on three counts of strict liability (design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn), breach of express and implied warranty, fraudulent concealment, and punitive damages. Continue reading
