Featured Stories
Lawsuit Alleges Plavix Caused Oklahoma Man to Suffer Multiple Stomach Bleeds

Lawsuit Alleges Plavix Caused Oklahoma Man to Suffer Multiple Stomach Bleeds

Another lawsuit has been filed over adverse Plavix side effects. The lawsuit, filed by national law firm Parker Waichman LLP, alleges that the blood thinner, Plavix (clopidogrel), caused an Oklahoma man to suffer from multiple stomach bleeds.

Read More

New York Property Owners Challenge Binghamton Fracking Ban

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.

Read More

Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Leads Vulnerable to Fracture after ICD Switch

Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Leads Vulnerable to Fracture after ICD Switch

Medtronic Sprint Fidelis leads are vulnerable to fracture following ICD switch, says a new study published in the June issue of the journal Heart Rhythm.

Read More

FDA Advisory Panel Wrestling with Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Safety

FDA Advisory Panel Wrestling with Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Safety

An advisory panel for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) began a highly-anticipated meeting yesterday to discuss the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants. Among other things, the panel of outside experts is being asked to make recommendations regarding the best practices for monitoring patients with metal-on-metal hip replacements. ...

Read More

Another Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Lawsuit Filed in DePuy ASR Hip Implant Litigation

Another Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Lawsuit Filed in DePuy ASR Hip Implant Litigation

A vital food safety program was saved from budget cuts this week, enabling the country’s largest—although considered by experts to be far too small—produce-safety testing program to continue.

Read More

Medtronic Infuse Lawsuit Alleges Off-Label Use Cause Painful Complications

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 ...

Read More

First DePuy ASR Hip Implant Lawsuits Head to Trial in December, January

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 ...

Read More

Transvaginal Mesh a Nightmare for Thousands of Women

Transvaginal Mesh a Nightmare for Thousands of Women

Thousands of women who have received transvaginal mesh surgical implants to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are now living a nightmare, thanks to debilitating pain, bleeding, infection and other serious complications. According to the Sun-Sentinel, many of the women injured by transvaginal mesh claim ...

Read More

Knee Replacement Patients Should Consider Nickel Allergies before Surgery

Knee Replacement Patients Should Consider Nickel Allergies before Surgery

Individuals considering undergoing knee replacement surgery should ask their doctors to run a test to determine if they have a nickel allergy. Determining if a patient suffers from a nickel allergy will ensure the right knee implant is chosen for their surgery, and possibly save them from considerable pain and ...

Read More

EMA Seeks Stronger Pradaxa Guidance for Bleeding Side Effects

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, ...

Read More

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

Posted in Defective Medical Devices, Metal Hip Implants |

Man Alleges Taking Actos for Two Years Caused Bladder Cancer

Actos_Bladder_CancerA 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

Posted in Actos, Legal News, Pharmaceuticals |

Parker Waichman LLP Takes on Credit Card Companies, Fights for Small Business

Credit_Card_Companies_AbuseNational 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

Posted in Legal News, Press Releases |

GranuFlo, NaturaLyte Maker Faces Center Closure Following Patient Deaths, Poor Infection Control Standards

GranuFlo_DialysisA 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

Posted in Legal News, Malpractice, Pharmaceuticals, Product Recalls, Recalled Drugs |

DEP Drilling Review Reveals Water Damage, Questionable Testing Methods

Water_Damage_FrackingA 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

Posted in Health Concerns, Toxic Substances |

Ohio Nursing Home Employee Charged with Patient Abuse

Ohio_Nursing_Home_AbuseOn 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

Posted in Legal News |

Cell Phone Radiation Leads to New Concerns

Cell_Phone_RadiationWhile 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

Posted in Cell Phones & Cancer, Cellular Phone |

Metro-North Connecticut Collision Leaves Dozens Injured, Some Critically

Metro_North_CrashDozens 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

Posted in Accident |

Bean Bag Chairs Recalled Over Suffocation, Strangulation Hazards

Bean_Bag_StuffingAbout 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

Posted in Product Recalls |

Avon Recalls Microwave Popcorn Makers Over Burn, Fire Hazards

Popcorn_MakerThe 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

Posted in Product Recalls |