Articles Posted in Defective Drugs

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Last year, hundreds of people were affected by an outbreak of spinal meningitis resulting from tainted steroid injections coming from New England Compounding Center, a compounding agency in Massachusetts. In the wake of this preventable tragedy, Congress has begun looking into further regulating compounding pharmacies. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow the U.S Food and Drug Administration to have some oversight with compounding pharmacies. To hear attorney Jim Higgins talk about the new bill and provide an update on the status of current meningitis cases, click the video below.


 
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As many as 25 million Americans suffer from type 2 diabetes and the complications that go along with the disease. While there has been a rise in the number of treatment options over the past few years, there have also been a number of issues associated with some of the drugs. If you have experienced health related problems following the use of Januvia or Byetta, we encourage you to speak with a Tennessee Januvia and Byetta lawyer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently opened a review into type 2 diabetes drugs Januvia and Byetta to determine whether or not the drugs are associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The FDA publicly stated that it “intends to obtain and evaluate” new information regarding type 2 diabetes drugs. These drugs have been subjected to increased scrutiny due to recent reports linking the drugs to possible serious side effects.

In February of 2013, the Journal of American Medical Association published a study revealing that people who were taking type 2 diabetes drugs like Byetta and Januvia had twice the rate of acute pancreatitis. These numbers obviously have doctors very concerned. Specifically, commentary in the British Medical Journal by Edwin A.M. Gale, professor of diabetes medicine at Southmead Hospital in England, provided insight into the potential danger of pancreatitis. Describing the his large level of concern, Gale stated, “All forms of pancreatitis, clinical, or subclinical, predispose to carcinoma of the pancreas.”

However, evidence linking type 2 diabetes drugs to inflammation of the pancreas is nothing new. There have been reports linking Byetta and pancreatitis as early as 2007. The FDA said in 2007 that it had received a high number of reports of pancreatitis from those taking Byetta. Some of these cases even included more serious effects including hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis and even death.

There have been an increasing number of lawsuits filed against the manufacturers of these drugs, Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibbs. One particular lawsuit was filed by a husband on behalf of his late wife who died one year after developing pancreatic cancer. She had taken both Byetta and Januvia. The lawsuit claims that these particular drugs caused “severe mental and physical pain and suffering” as well as economic loss.

Other lawsuits filed against the manufacturers allege the drugs caused “unreasonable and dangerous side effects.” In addition, the suits claim that the manufacturers failed to warn the public of such harm and concealed the risks from doctors and patients.
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The number of lawsuits being filed related to the medical product GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are on the rise. These products are used in the during dialyisis treatment for the purpose creating bicarbonates in the blood. This is necessary for any dialysis treatment but unfortunately it is believed that GranuFlo may have dangerous side effects. More specifically, the product may create a bicarbonate overdose which can cause stroke, heart attack and death.

Recently, Tennessee Trial Attorney Jim Higgins was interviewed with regard to this product and some recently filed cases. You can watch the interview below:


 

As these cases move through the court system we hope to obtain more answers as to how these tragic injuries and death can be prevented in the future.
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According to the report from the Judicial Panel on MultiDistrict Litigation the number of Pradaxa cases filed in federal court involving internal bleeding has increased from an estimated one hundred to one hundred and fifty-one. This most recent report was issued on November 14, 2012.

The report comes during a time when researchers have been disagreeing about the drug’s safety. According to The Journal for The American Medical Association warning on September 3, 2012, the association feels that the Food and Drug Administration may have rushed the approval of Pradaxa and overlooked major side effects such as internal bleeding. However, in a study performed by Food and Drug Administration on November 4, 2012, they state that for now Pradaxa has the same risks as other blood thinning medications.

A report released by the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices’ QuarterWatch on October 3, 2012 estimates that the complaints to the Food and Drug Administration concerning Pradaxa have increased by ninety percent in four years. The concern over Pradaxa internal bleeding risk is that once the bleeding starts there is little that can be done to stop it, according to doctors’ on November 6, 2012.

If you or someone you care about has suffered from dangerous and even life-threatening side effects while on Pradaxa, then you should speak to a Tennessee defective drug Pradaxa and personal injury lawyer right away about your claim. They will hear your case and work with you to make sure you get the compensation you need for what you have been through.
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In Tennessee and across the country, people expect that when they take a medication, it will help make them feel better. Unfortunately, in some cases some medicines have dangerous side effects that can lead to injury or even death. We are currently pursuing several cases involving the drug Yaz.

Bayer, the producer of Yaz is currently still settling Tennessee Yaz Lawsuit claims at a faster pace than they previously stated they would. The Bayer Company seems to approaching these lawsuits with the thinking that the best thing to do is to settle with the injured as quickly as possible and to put all this behind them. However, the producer of Nuvaring has taken an approach that has resulted in several delays. Many people involved in Nuvaring lawsuits speculate that the producer of Nuvaring has been dilatory with their efforts to delay Nuvaring Lawsuit trial dates for as long as possible.

These delays will come to an end though because the presiding judge in the Nuvaring Multidistrict Litigation has now set trial dates for the first Nuvaring cases to be heard. The first portion of Nuvaring trials are set to be in the beginning of 2013. Those people involved in Nuvaring lawsuits think that the maker made change its strategy now that court dates have been set. People involved in Nuvaring lawsuits are hoping that the producer will take a similar approach like that of the Bayer Company with its Yaz lawsuits.
Nuvaring Lawsuit plaintiffs have waited, in some cases for several years, while medical bills mounted and other damages they claim were caused by Nuvaring.
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Tennessee residents have heard reports about the dangerous side effects that can result from taking Zoloft while pregnant. Many people who took Zoloft while they were pregnant may have children that were born with birth defects and other side effects and personal injuries
According to this lawsuit, parents Michael and Shana Reid of Tennessee claim that their daughter was born with birth defects resulting from Zoloft. Shana Reid was prescribed Zoloft by her doctor while she was pregnant. Reid read the warning label but failed to see anything about birth defects so she trusted that the antidepressant medication was safe to take while she was pregnant. The lawsuit states that if you had been warned about the risk of birth defects she would not have taken the medication.

The Reid’s baby was born on October 14, 2004 with life-threatening congenital birth defects. These birth defects resulted in the baby having to have corrective surgery and it is also likely, that the child will need more surgeries in the future.

This Tennessee Zoloft lawsuit claims that Pfizer was aware of the risk of side effects after taking Zoloft, but failed to adequately warn the public or the medical community. The lawsuit claims that the advertising and marketing by Pfizer of Zoloft was misleading to pregnant women and their doctors because it failed to provide accurate information about the possible dangers of taking Zoloft while pregnant.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation in excess of $75,000 in damages for failure to warn, design defect, fraud, negligence, gross negligence, negligent design, and breach of warranties.
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Many people all across the United States have heard reports about the dangerous side effects linked to medication Pradaxa and many people have even personally suffered from and been injured by these side effects including people in Tennessee. If you have questions regarding these claims contact one of our Tennessee Pradaxa Lawyers at any time.

According to a recent lawsuit, a Tennessee man is claiming that Pradaxa caused his mother’s death on April 7, 2011. James Lunsford filed the lawsuit after seeking advice when his mother died of gastrointestinal bleeding complications related to the blood thinner, Pradaxa. James’ mother was admitted to the hospital on March 29, 2011 and was suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding. The bleeding was treated and dialysis was performed to remove Pradaxa from her system. However, she died several days later.

The blood thinning drug Pradaxa was introduced to the United States market in 2010. It has severe side effects including: internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, heart attack, stroke, inflammation to the stomach lining, and death.
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As many of you have heard, that has been a tragic event in Tennessee, where it appears that some people may have been infected with meningitis as a result of a contaminated drug. The drug that is under suspision is used in epidural steroid injection. It is difficult to understand how such a tragedy can happen in light of the safety protocols that are generally taken in the packaging and storing of medications.

According, to a recent story it also appears that there may be a need to make sure everyone is aware of the potential dangers that did exist. Specially, on patient received a steroid injection for lower back pain from Saint Thomas pain clinic on September 18, 2012. Following the procedure on September 27th, she received a call from the clinic asking her about any symptoms she was experiencing. They never mentioned meningitis and never mentioned that thirteen people who received the injections at the clinic between July 30, 2012, and Sept. 20 have contracted the rare, non-contagious form of meningitis, and two of them have died. She had to find out on the news about the meningitis.

Laurie stated she was upset and frightened to learn this news through the news rather than directly from the clinic and worries other people who could be affected might not know. The type of meningitis is fungal meningitis which can be difficult to diagnose and tough to treat. The Food and Drug Administration has recalled the steroid injection however the Center for Disease Control has yet to determine the injection as the source of the infection. The Saint Thomas clinic voluntarily shut down and will not reopen until the Tennessee Department of Health and CDC are confident the problems have been resolved.
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If you or someone you care about has taken Yaz and suffered severe injuries or life-threatening illnesses as a result, then it is important that you talk with a Tennessee Yaz lawyer right away. According to information from the Yaz Resource group, a patient advocacy group, Bayer has decided to have more funds to settle claims for those injured while taking Yaz. However, there is a limited amount of time to file a claim. Anyone who suffered from a blood clot, DVT, stroke, or Pulmonary Embolism following the use of Yaz or Yasmin is encouraged to contact a Tennessee Yaz lawyer about their legal rights.

The British Medical Journal published a study on October 25, 2011, from researchers at The University of Copenhagen which linked the hormone in Yaz to blood clots. On October 27, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration released its study more than 800,000 women which found drugs like Yaz could increase the risk of blood clots, DVT and pulmonary embolism by as much as seventy-four percent. According to recent news reports as of July 31st, the Bayer Company has settled almost 1,900 Yaz Lawsuits for more than $400 million. Bayer has also doubled its reserves for the settlements to more than $610 million.
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We are pleased to report that a federal judge recently dendied efforts by the maker of Pradaxa to dismiss personal injury claims. Pradaxa has been a popular medication for blood thinning used for people with abnormal heart rhythms. Unfortuantly, we believe the drug had serious side effects. We have serveral Tennessee Pradaxa Lawsuits involving clients that suffered internal bleeding and other side effects.

Beginning in December of 2011 however, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to patients following an investigation of medication after receiving more reports of injury or deaths as a result of taking Pradaxa. Lawyers across the country are expecting five hundred Pradaxa related lawsuits will be filed.

On July 25, 2012, the judge overseeing current claims that have been filed denied an attempt by the maker of Pradaxa to dismiss the bleeding lawsuits.
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