Product Liability

July 11, 2016

Study links Xarelto’s side effects to serious injuries

An independent study conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) showed that side effects of Xarelto were linked to more serious injuries than any other drug studied by the institute. The study, which was submitted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year, links more than 1,100 patient deaths to Xarelto.

In the group’s quarterly report issued last week, ISMP summarized adverse event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year, which are widely considered to be an important safety signal for prescription medications on the market.

The study found that “severe complications with Xarelto exceed those linked to all other drugs, mainly involving injuries associated with uncontrolled bleeding and failure to prevent a stroke or pulmonary embolism, which is what the drug is designed to do.”

July 8, 2016

Nexium kidney side effects trigger lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Ethicon Gynecare Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits A Tennessee man filed a lawsuit against the makers of Nexium alleging that the drug caused acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), which ultimately led to the man needing dialysis treatment and a kidney transplant.

The lawsuit was filed against the makers of Nexium by Charles Bowers on July 5, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

Bowers alleges that the makers of Nexium failed to adequately warn about the link between the drug and acute interstitial nephritis, which involves inflammation of the kidneys that can lead to end-stage renal failure, chronic kidney disease, and acute kidney injury.

July 7, 2016

Permanent Hair Loss Lawsuit Filed Against Makers of Taxotere

by Dr. Shezad Malik

An Illinois woman filed a lawsuit against the makers Taxotere. She claims the controversial breast cancer drug caused her to develop permanent hair loss, a condition often referred to as permanent alopecia.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 28 by Renita Johnson. Johnson alleges that the drug maker knew or should have known that women may be left with permanent alopecia after using Taxotere, but provided misleading and false information that suggested hair typically regrows.

Johnson points to a 2005 study which found that one out of every 10 patients treated with Taxotere suffered hair loss that lasted up to 10 years and five months, and in some cases longer.

July 6, 2016

Jury awards $70 million to Risperdal victim

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A jury in Philadelphia found Friday that the antipsychotic drug Risperdal caused a Tennessee boy to develop gynecomastia, a condition that causes males to grow female breasts, and imposed a $70 million verdict on its manufacturer.

This was by far the largest Risperdal verdict in a string of cases against the drug manufacturer. Earlier verdicts ranged from $500,000 to $2.2 million.

“The jury got angry at these people; they don’t take responsibility,” an attorney familiar with the case said.

July 5, 2016

Invokana lawsuits on the rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Invokana is a new class of Type 2 diabetes drug called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2). This class of Type 2 diabetes drugs work by stopping glucose from being reabsorbed into the blood. The FDA approved Invokana in 2013 and has grown to over 2.7 million prescriptions per year.

In May 2015 the FDA release a statement warning doctors and patients that SGLT2 drugs may lead to DKA. If DKA is left untreated, it can be fatal.

In December 2015, the FDA ordered manufacturers of SGLT2 inhibitors to add warnings regarding the risk of urinary tract infection and ketoacidosis to the drugs’ labels.

June 30, 2016

Abilify lawsuits on the rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Abilify (aripiprazole) is one of the best selling drugs in the world, with 2015 sales estimated at more than $6 billion worldwide. It was approved by the FDA in 2002, for the treatment of a number of psychological problems, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and autism in adults and children.

Research has suggested that side effects of Abilify may impact an individuals impulse control, potentially leading to gambling addictions or other unusual behavior that can have a devastating impact on an individuals family, employment, financial position and overall quality of life.

As a result of the drug maker’s failure to adequately warn about the potential impulse control risks, financial compensation may be available through an Abilify lawsuit for individuals who have suffered damages as a result of compulsive gambling.

June 29, 2016

Bard IVC Filters Lawsuits On the Rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

IVC Filter lawsuits A device known as a vena cava filter (IVC) was implanted by doctors in hundreds of patients who are unable to take anticoagulants (blood thinners) in order to prevent blood clots from moving to the lungs. Three devices manufactured by C.R. Bard quickly came under criticism after reports surfaced of complications.

C. R. Bard IVC filters catch the clots in the blood stream and, over time, the clots dissipate. The IVC filter is retrievable and it is not designed to be permanent.

Soon after IVC filters were widely used, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received hundreds of adverse reports about the retrievable filters. Reported complications included punctured organs, blood vessels and filter migration to different parts of the body.

June 28, 2016

Can Baby Powder cause ovarian cancer?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Talcum Powder causes cancer While some in the medical community continue to debate whether or not Talcum Powder, also known as Baby Powder, may cause ovarian cancer, two recent lawsuits suggest it does cause ovarian cancer.

The link between ovarian cancer and talcum powder was originally discovered in 1971 in a study that revealed talc particles in the ovarian tissue of cancer patients.

This was the first instance in which medical professionals realized women were at risk when using the powder on their genitals, sanitary pads, diaphragms, and in condoms. Talc particles easily made their way into the vagina and were able to travel deeper into the reproductive organs. One sample study demonstrated the ability of carbon particles to travel through the vagina and into the fallopian tubes in as little as 30 minutes, leading researchers to believe the same was possible with talc particles.

June 23, 2016

Jury awards $8.75 million in asbestos lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

asbestos mesothelioma cancer attorney A 65-year-old Beaverton man who is dying of asbestos-related cancer – four decades after he was exposed to the material – was awarded $8.75 million by an Oregon jury.

The three and half week long trial showed that Kaiser Gypsum, the manufacturer of a spackle-like product used on wallboard, exposed David Hoff to asbestos in the 1970s even though the company was aware of the hazard as early as 1965, according to evidence presented at the trial.

Hoff was a carpenter and was in his 20s when he worked construction sites where the Kaiser Gypsum product was applied by drywall workers, then sanded, releasing the tiny cancerous fibers into the air he breathed, according to the lawsuit.

June 21, 2016

Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Triggers Talc Powder Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Ethicon Gynecare Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits The family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer alleges that side effects of daily Baby Powder use for feminine hygiene purposes caused the development of cancer.

The family of Maureen Broderick Milliken allege that Milliken’s “regular and prolong” use of Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Powder around her genital area caused ovarian cancer. According to the lawsuit filed on June 9, 2016, Milliken used the product nearly her entire life.

Milliken’s famiy argues that Johnson and Johnson knew or should have known of the “unreasonably dangerous and carcinogenic nature of the talc,” the main ingredient used in Baby Powder. Yet, the company withheld information from consumers and continued to market use of the products in the underwear and around the genitals, which may cause talc to migrate through the vagina and increase the risk of cancer, according to the lawsuit.