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.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Lawyer Takes Issue with Statements Made by DePuy Orthpaedics Official During FDA Meeting
An attorney with a national law firm that represents victims of alleged metal-on-metal hip implant injuries has expressed dismay at some statements made last week regarding the regulation of all-metal hip replacement devices by an official with DePuy Orthopaedics. According to Daniel Burke, Senior Litigation Counsel at Parker ...
Pradaxa Named in Most FDA Adverse Event Reports for Deaths, Hemorrhage, Kidney Failure and Stroke
The controversial blood thinner, Pradaxa, surpassed all other drugs monitored by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in adverse event reports made to the agency last year. According to the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices’ (ISMP) latest QuarterWatch report, Pradaxa also topped the list for reports of deaths, ...
Smith & Nephew Recalls Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Component
Medical device maker, Smith & Nephew, just issued a recall for a metal-on-metal hip implant component, a part of one of its all-metal hip replacement systems.
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.
Fracking Should be Kept 600m From Aquifers, Study Says
New research on the safety of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) suggests new wells should not be dug within 600 meters of a water aquifer because underground fractures can extend about that far from a dug well. According to a report from UK’s The Guardian newspaper, researchers and geologists at Durham University have ...
Tennessee Woman Alleges Boston Scientific Transvaginal Mesh Product Caused Painful Injuries
More reports of painful injuries are being linked to transvaginal mesh. This time, a Tennessee woman has filed a lawsuit against Boston Scientific over its Advantage Transvaginal Mid-Urethral Sling System.
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.
Lawsuits over DePuy ASR Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants Continue to Mount
DePuy Orthopaedics and its parent, Johnson & Johnson, continue to be hit with lawsuits over recalled metal-on-metal DePuy ASR hip implants. Just yesterday, the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP announced it had filed yet another DePuy ASR hip implant lawsuit, this time on behalf of a Virginia resident ...
Study Finds Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants Associated with High Incidence of Pseudotumors
Yet another study is adding to concerns about the potential dangers associated with metal-on-metal hip implants. The study, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found that large diameter metal-on-metal total hip replacement may be associated with a substantially higher incidence of pseudotumor formation.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
