First DePuy ASR Hip Implant Lawsuits Head to Trial in December, January
The first trials involving lawsuits filed against DePuy Orthopaedics by recipients of its recalled ASR Hip Implants will begin later this year, and early next year. The first is slated to start on December 3, 2012 in state court in Las Vegas, Nevada. A second DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuit ...
Medtronic Plans Layoffs, as Infuse Bone Graft Controversy Continues to Weigh on Spinal Business
Medtronic’s spinal division continues to take a huge hit thanks to the controversy surrounding its Infuse Bone Graft product. According to a report from MassDevice.com, the company’s latest earnings report stated that the division saw Infuse sales decline 26% in the first quarter of 2012, and now Medtronic is talking ...
Bisphosphonate Study Confirms Atypical Thigh Fracture Risk
New research has confirmed the link between bisphoshonates, such as Fosamax, and atypical femur fractures, a type of thigh fracture that occurs spontaneously, without any major leg injury. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, also found that the risk of atypical thigh fractures increases the longer a ...
Medtronic Infuse Lawsuit Alleges Off-Label Use Cause Painful Complications
A man in Louisiana has filed suit against Medtronic Inc. over injuries allegedly cause by off-label use of its Infuse Bone Graft product. The plaintiff, who received Infuse during transforaminal spinal lumbar fusion surgery, claims that the bone growth protein caused unwanted bone growth along his spine, worsening the back ...
FDA Panel Takes up Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Safety Today
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is convening a meeting starting today to help decide the future of metal-on-metal hip implants following high-profile recalls and mounting questions about their overall safety.
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 ...
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.
Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits Continue, New Complaint Filed by Tennessee Resident
Actos bladder cancer lawsuits continue, with a new complaint filed by a resident of Tennessee. The national law firm, Parker Waichman LLP, represents the Tennessee man who alleges that Actos caused his bladder cancer.
Colorado Woman Sues American Medical Systems Over Transvaginal Mesh Injuries
Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm, just filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Colorado woman allegedly injured by transvaginal mesh products manufactured by American Medical Systems, Inc. The suit was filed on May 21, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. ...
Actos, Avandia May Up Risk for Diabetic Macular Edema
A newly published study is raising concerns that patients who take Actos or Avandia may face an increased risk of developing diabetic macular edema, an eye disorder that can result in vision loss. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that type 2 diabetics who use thiazolidinediones, ...Hidden Camera Reveals Horrifying Abuse of Canadian Nursing Home Patient
Shocking video footage taken by hidden camera at an Ontario, Canada, nursing home shows an elderly woman being subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of nursing home employees.
Four employees at St Joseph’s at Fleming long-term care home have been suspended pending investigation, the (U.K.) Daily Mail reports, after a patient’s son documented repeated abuse with a hidden camera he placed in his mother’s room. The Ontario Ministry of Health is investigating the case. While Alan Cavell, CEO of St Joseph’s at Fleming, stopped short of calling the treatment seen on camera abuse, “I would think that most people would say that it was,” he told CTV News. Continue reading
Metal-on-Metal Hip Device Tissue Damage Appears Before Symptoms
Metal-on-metal hip implant devices can cause synovitis—inflammation of the joint lining—and this significant adverse side effect can appear long before patients experience symptoms, according to a new study.
The study also found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to identify synovitis, said researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery, wrote Health Canal. The research appears in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Continue reading
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
