Personal Injury

November 16, 2013

Dr Shezad Malik Explains Johnson and Johnson DePuy ASR Hip Implant Settlement

For the folks who have been injured or severely maimed by the defective Depuy ASR metal on metal hip implant, relief is around the corner. According to unnamed sources, Bloomberg News and the New York Times, a mammoth settlement is pending release in open federal court on Tuesday November 19th.

The proposed settlement is going to be presented in federal court and will need the blessing of the federal judge overseeing the DePuy ASR litigation, which at last count has passed the 12,000 mark for folks afflicted by the allegedly faulty hip implant.

November 13, 2013

$4 Billion J&J DePuy Settles ASR Metal Hip Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to Bloomberg News, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) will pay more than $4 billion to resolve the product liability lawsuits over its recalled hip implants. This massive settlement is the largest of U.S. lawsuit claims over an allegedly defective medical device, and affects thousands of patients who have been injured by the metal on metal hip implant.

Settlement Impacts Thousands of Patients

September 2, 2013

Bard Settles 2nd Avaulta Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Recently, Bard settled the second federal Avaulta bellwether trial over its alleged defective transvaginal mesh devices. The settlement was announced by U.S. District Judge Goodwin, who is supervising the transvaginal mesh product liability lawsuits in Charleston, W.Va.

As previously noted, in the first Bard Avaulta bellwether trial, the jury awarded $2 million to a woman who claimed that Bard failed to warn of defects in its product that caused her mesh side effects. The settlement ended the second trial, brought by a North Carolina woman, Wanda Queen. A third bellwether case goes to trial on October 8 and a fourth on November 4.

Over 20,000 Trans Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits Pending

September 1, 2013

Stryker Oasys Occipito-Cervico-Thoracic System Recalled

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Stryker, a well known artificial hip and medical device manufacturer, is recalling devices used in spinal surgeries. The FDA has assigned its most serious warning label to the problem, indicating that using the device could result in serious injury or death. Stryker is already under fire over lawsuits involving its Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II artificial hips, amid allegations of early failure of the devices and the risk of metallosis. Metallosis occurs when the component parts grind against each other releasing metal ions into the bloodstream and hip joint, leading to loosening of the hip device, bone destruction, pain and swelling.

The device is the Oasys Occipito-Cervico-Thoracic System, which is designed to stabilize the junction between the occipital bone and vertebrae in the cervical spine.

Stryker has received reports that a pin that connects the tulip head to the plate body can fracture, possibly causing blood loss, nerve injury and the need for revision surgery. The FDA put its Class I designation on the recall, a notification for potentially deadly malfunctions.

August 15, 2013

Intuitive Surgical’s Da Vinci Robot Lawsuit Update

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The FDA issued a warning letter to Intuitive Surgical, which hammers the makers of the da Vinci surgical robot for failing to notify the federal regulators about information the company sent to doctors using the robotic surgery machine.

The FDA letter was issued after a FDA inspection between April 1 and May 30 of the company’s production facility. Investigators found that Intuitive Surgical had sent out field correction letters to doctors and hospitals in order to correct or prevent da Vinci problems. According to federal regulations, the FDA must be informed within 10 working days of such a notification.

One of the notifications appears to show that Intuitive Surgical knew that the da Vinci had problems with electricity arcing from the tools as early as October 2011.

August 12, 2013

Cancer Risk with Byetta and Januvia Downplayed by FDA

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to the FDA, there is no scientific evidence to confirm that a group of type 2 diabetes drugs called GLP-1 inhibitors is linked to pancreatic cancer. The FDA decision comes on the heels of the European Medicines Agency, which stated that they have been unable to confirm an increased risk of pancreatic cancer linked to side effects of Byetta, Januvia, Janumet, Victoza and other incretin mimetic drugs.

The FDA has apparently completed its safety review into the new group of medications, known as incretin mimetics, and is preparing to report that it has found no conclusive connection between the medications and pancreatic cancer. According to the EMA, its experts reviewed the data and found “methodological limitations and potential sources of bias” and decided the available data don’t bear out worries about an increased risk of “pancreatic adverse events.”

The report addresses the entire group of incretin mimetics, which comprises GLP-1 agonists, which mimic a key hormone, and DPP-4 inhibitors, which interfere with a protein that breaks down the same hormone.

June 8, 2013

Plavix MDL Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Pupura Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas cardiologist and Defective Drug Product Liability attorney, I am providing this update for patients who have been injured by the use of Plavix, including excessive bleeding, hemorrhage and death.

Federal New Jersey Plavix MDL

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) has centralized all Plavix lawsuits filed in the federal court system before U.S. District Judge Wolfson in the District of New Jersey for coordinated pretrial proceedings.

June 1, 2013

Actos Bladder Cancer Cases Passes 1,500 Mark

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As an Actos Bladder Cancer attorney and product liability attorney, I am providing this update to the current Actos litigation. According to recent court documents, more than 1,500 Actos bladder cancer federal lawsuits have been filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals in the Western District of Louisiana.

What is Actos’ Risk?

Actos (pioglitazone) is a type 2 diabetes drug that was introduced by Takeda in 1999, and is now considered by experts to be a blockbuster drug with sales of several billion dollars. In recent years, alarm has been raised about an increased risk of bladder cancer from Actos long-term use of over a year. The FDA required Takeda to update the Actos warning label in August 2011 and warned that patients may be exposed to an increased risk of bladder tumors after the use of the drug.

May 28, 2013

Tylenol Liver Injury Lawsuits Making Headway

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to legal experts there are more than 100 Tylenol (acetaminophen) liver damage and liver failure cases pending in state and federal courts across the nation. In April, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation established consolidated proceedings for all federal Tylenol lawsuits. The JPML ordered the transfer of 27 complaints to U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Tylenol Liver Damage Allegations

All of the claims state that users suffered liver damage side effects after Tylenol use, and that Johnson & Johnson (Tylenol manufacturer) failed to provide adequate warning about the risk of liver damage side effects from acetaminophen usage.

May 27, 2013

Wrongful Death Lawsuits Over Fresenius Dialysis

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The family of an Oregon woman who died after dialysis has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care. The lawsuit alleges that the company’s GranuFlo and NaturaLyte dialysis treatments caused the sudden heart side effects and death.

Colleen Coultas (daughter) filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Coultas claimed that her mother, Shannon Giltner, died in May 2010 due to a cardic arrest after hemodialysis treatment involving the use of Granuflo and NaturaLyte. Granuflo and NaturaLyte were recalled in 2012 after reports of hundreds of similar heart attacks and deaths.

Fresenius Dialysis Centers Under Fire