A Harris County Texas jury has ruled in favor of a Houston man in a medical malpractice case, awarding him $10 million in damages stemming from a lawsuit against Methodist Hospital and the doctors who treated him there. John German developed gangrene that required the amputation of his left leg…
FDA has required the manufacturers of the smoking cessation aids varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban and generics) to add new Boxed Warnings and develop patient Medication Guides highlighting the risk of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients using these products. These symptoms include changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal…
At the request of the FDA, U.S. Marshals raided generic drug manufacturer Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd., shutting down manufacturing and seizing inventory. The action came after FDA inspections found that the drug maker was continuing to fail to meet federal safety and health requirements. In March 2009, Caraco recalled digoxin,…
The following is a summary of the changes effective on June 24, 2009. Click here for the complete board rules. Chapter 162, Supervision of Medical School Students, with amendments to §162.1 Supervision of Medical Students, which clarifies the intent of the amendment previously adopted, which became effective on March 9,…
Since its April board meeting, the Texas Medical Board has taken disciplinary action against 71 licensed physicians. The actions included 15 violations based on quality of care; 11 actions based on unprofessional conduct; two nontherapeutic prescribing violations; six agreed orders based on inadequate medical records violations; one action based on…
When Debbie Daniels was scheduled to undergo a hysterectomy in 2003, her doctor suggested he do a “tummy tuck” as well. But the obstetrician/gynecologist did not tell her that he had never been trained to perform the procedure that gets rid of excess skin and fat. She also did not…
The Texas Medical Board entered an Automatic Suspension Order against Rodney Norman Dotson, M.D., license number D9988, on Monday, May 4, after determining that Dr. Dotson had violated a previous disciplinary order. The February 8, 2008, Mediated Agreed Order required, among other provisions, that Dr. Dotson take and pass the…
The following is a summary of the changes effective on May 6, 2009. Click here for the complete board rules. Chapter 166, Physician Registration, with amendments to §162.2 Continuing Medical Education, would allow members of the Board’s Expert Physician Panel up to 12 hours of formal continuing Medical Education for…
A woman who said she developed ulcerative colitis from taking Accutane was awarded $10.5 million by a New Jersey jury. It was the third of 425 lawsuits alleging that Accutane caused inflammatory bowel disease in some users to go to trial. All three cases have resulted in multi-million dollar judgments…
Women who have their healthy ovaries removed when they have a hysterectomy face a higher risk of death — including death from coronary heart disease and lung cancer — than women who keep their ovaries, according to new research. The finding from a study published in the May issue of…