Personal Injury

July 20, 2009

Chantix Diabetes Side Effects and Lawsuits

According to adverse drug event reports received by the FDA, there may be a connection between the use of Chantix and diabetes. The drug has been linked with a number of reports involving new onset diabetes.

The Chantix attorneys at Dr Shezad Malik Law Firm are evaluating the potential for legal cases on behalf of individuals who were diagnosed with diabetes for the first time after using Chantix.

While studies have not firmly established that Chantix causes diabetes, sufficient reports of problems associated with the use of the drug warrant further investigation. Potential cases are being reviewed throughout the United States.

July 20, 2009

Fleet Phospho-soda and Acute Phosphate Nephropathy Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The use of oral sodium phosphate products, like Fleet Phospho-soda, Visicol and OsmoPrep, to clear out the bowels before a colonoscopy or other medical procedure, have been associated with the development of a rare but serious form of kidney injury known as acute phosphate nephropathy.

The Fleet Phospho-soda attorneys at Dr Shezad Malik Law Firm are investigating potential Acute Phosphate Nephropathy lawsuits for patients who have been diagnosed with the kidney condition after using an over-the-counter Fleet Phospho-soda laxative at high doses for colonoscopy prep.

July 18, 2009

Zicam Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. Investor Class Action Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

An investor with Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. the maker of Zicam, has filed a proposed securities class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona on behalf of shareholders of Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., who purchased Matrixx stock between December 22, 2007 and June 15, 2009, in relation to Matrixx Initiatives alleged violations of FDA regulations involving the Zicam Cold Remedy products.

July 17, 2009

Accutane Lawsuits and Litigation

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Millions of people who have used the prescription acne medication call it a miracle. But the drug also has been the target of lawsuits, federal investigations and scientists who say the drug is overused and that its dangers outweigh its benefits.

But now Accutane is gone. Its maker, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche Holding, pulled it from the market last week. The company maintains the drug is safe but says it can’t compete with generic versions that flooded the U.S. market several years ago.

Others say Roche has had trouble shaking off the studies and lawsuits that link it to everything from birth defects to depression. Juries recently awarded at least $33 million in damages to users who blamed the drug for bowel disorders.

“We’ve never advocated this drug being taken off the market,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group that has been vocal about Accutane.

Click here for the Accutane Case List

July 16, 2009

Midland Texas Wells Contaminated with Chromium

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Beverly Crouch spent hundreds of dollars on chemicals last fall to try to get the green tinge out of her backyard pool.

It wasn’t until two months ago that she learned why the chemicals she put into her 13,000-gallon, above-ground pool wouldn’t clear the water. The green color came from well water contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a known human carcinogen.

Crouch, 44, isn’t alone. Some of her neighbors’ wells gushed water the color of urine.

Texas environmental officials are still trying to determine the extent of the contamination. Later this month, they will ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consider the site for federal Superfund status.

After that, efforts will begin to find who dumped the dangerous chemical, which appears to have been in the area for years, according to one environmental investigator.

July 15, 2009

Denture Cream Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga, who is handling the consolidated Fixodent and Super PoliGrip lawsuits filed over zinc poisoning from denture creams, issued an order designating lawyers to serve in leadership positions in the MDL, or Multidistrict litigation. These denture cream lawyers will perform services that benefit all of the plaintiffs involved in the litigation during the pretrial proceedings.

On June 9, 2009, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized all federal denture cream lawsuits before Judge Altonaga in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, for coordinated discovery and pretrial litigation.

July 15, 2009

FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program

by Dr. Shezad Malik

MedWatch June 2009 Drug Safety Labeling Changes posting includes 31 drug products with safety labeling changes to the following sections: BOXED WARNING, CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, PRECAUTIONS, ADVERSE REACTIONS, PATIENT PACKAGE INSERT, and MEDICATION GUIDE.

The “Summary Page” provides a listing of drug names and safety labeling sections revised:

July 15, 2009

Rhabdomyolysis and Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A serious and potentially fatal muscle condition, known as Rhabdomyolysis, could be caused a number of different prescription medications.

The use of statin drugs, such as Baycol and Crestor, have been linked to side effects of Rhabdomyolysis, and the combination of drugs containing simvastatin, such as Zocor, Vytorin and Simcor, with heart drugs containing amiodarone, such as Cordarone and Pacerone, could increase the risk of the disorder. Recent reports also suggest that the dietary supplement Hydroxycut is associated with reports of rhabdomyolysis.

July 14, 2009

Shoulder Pain Pump Litigation

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The use of intra-articular pumps, also known as pain pumps or pain balls, to deliver medication to the shoulder following arthroscopic shoulder surgery has been linked to the development of a painful and debilitating condition which causes the loss of cartilage in the shoulder. The condition, known as Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis or PAGCL, has no consistently successful treatment and often results in permanent shoulder pain.

STATUS OF SHOULDER PAIN PUMP LITIGATION: Lawsuits are currently pending and potential cases are still being reviewed by product liability lawyers. Motions have been filed to consolidate all Federal shoulder pain pump lawsuits and transfer the cases to one court for pre-trial proceedings.

July 14, 2009

Bayer Sued Over Safety of Birth Control Pills Yaz and Yasmin

by Dr. Shezad Malik

First came the warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; now lawsuits.

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals has been hit with four individual federal lawsuits — three in Ohio, one in Wisconsin — involving the safety of its popular birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin.

The lawsuits — which were filed on July 7, 9 and 10 — come after Bayer reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration in 2008 to run a $20 million corrective ad campaign for overstating the benefits of Yaz and downplaying its risks. The FDA had issued Bayer a warning letter about the ads, noting that Yaz actually has additional risks compared to other birth control pills because it contains the progestin drospirenone, which can increase potassium levels.