Product Liability

September 17, 2013

Dallas, Texas Vaginal Mesh Attorney Warns About Side Effects

As a Dallas, Texas Trans Vaginal Mesh attorney, I am highlighting this latest research that is putting another nail in the Mesh coffin. According to new published research, transvaginal mesh placement provides no benefits when used for pelvic organ prolapse repair. In a study published in the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal, researchers found that the use of vaginal mesh does not increase good outcome for surgical prolapse repair when compared to more traditional treatments.

Georgetown University researchers halted the study due to the high rate of serious injuries associated with use of vaginal mesh. The study involved 65 women, 33 of whom received vaginal mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and 32 who underwent traditional vaginal prolapse surgery.

The women were followed for three years and the program stopped early because of a 15.6% mesh exposure rate, where the mesh eroded into the vagina.

September 16, 2013

Bard Avaulta Mesh Cases Beginning to Settle

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to reports, C.R. Bard Inc., has agreed to settle a one of its Avaulta vaginal-mesh implant lawsuits, which allegedly caused severe urinary problems. This case was set for trial this month in New Jersey.

Bard agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to resolve Melanie Virgil’s claims that Bard’s Avaulta Plus insert caused urinary problems. Virgil’s case had been set for a Sept. 23 trial in state court in Atlantic City.

According to the filings, the 56-year-old woman said she needed three surgeries to address urinary problems created by the insert.

September 15, 2013

Boston Scientific Pelvic Mesh Selected for Bellwether Trials

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The U.S. District Judge presiding over the federal transvaginal mesh litigation has chosen four Boston Scientific cases that will be considered for early bellwether trials, scheduled to start in 2014.

Litigation Continues to Grow

There are more than 22,500 federal lawsuits involving vaginal mesh pelvic repair systems manufactured by different companies. These mesh products have been associated with severe injuries when the device eroded through the vagina.

September 13, 2013

Warning Alert J&J Red Cap Tylenol Liver Failure

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas medical doctor and Dangerous Drugs attorney, I have been warning about the serious and potentially deadly side effects of this commonly used medication. I have had personal experience of the liver damage that this drug can inflict on the young, elderly and sick patients, during my years as working as an ER physician.

Many a night we struggled to save the lives of young kids who would take Tylenol overdoses as a means of committing suicide. In some instances, the children died, some we managed to save with aggressive medical treatments.

According to experts, almost a quarter of patients take more than the recommended dose, which could result in accidental Tylenol overdoses, increasing the risk of liver failure or death.

September 2, 2013

DePuy ASR Hip Failure Lawsuits Heading to Settlement?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to sources, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its subsidiary DePuy, are in active discussions to attempt a global settlement of their defective ASR metal on metal artificial hips.

J&J Potential Settlement North of $3 Billion

Apparently J&J has discussed paying more than $3 billion to settle lawsuits over its recalled hip implants. J&J is exposed to over 11,500 product liability lawsuits in the U.S. and is considering paying more than $300,000 per case. According to experts, such a global settlement would surpass $3 billion if most plaintiffs accept the proposed terms, this valuation is 50% larger than previously proposed.

September 2, 2013

Biomet M2A Metallosis Hip Failure Cases Update

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The federal judge overseeing the Biomet M2A Magnum hip failure lawsuits has denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuits based on federal preemption. Many plaintiffs have filed product liability lawsuits over early hip failure and metallosis involving the Biomet metal hip replacement device.

Plaintiff Biomet Injuries

The plaintiff, Leslie Caccia, had to undergo multiple revision surgeries after his Biomet ReCap Femoral Resurfacing System and M2A-Magnum metal-on-metal hip replacement system prematurely failed.

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 2, 2013

Byetta, Januvia Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has agreed to consolidate all Byetta, Januvia, Janumet and Victoza cancer lawsuits, centralizing the litigation as part of an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The JPML issued a Transfer Order on August 26, and these product liability cases involve pancreatic cancer after the use of Byetta, Januvia, Janumet or Victoza as part of the “Incretin Mimetics Product Liability Litigation.”

The product liability cases will be centralized before U.S. District Judge Battaglia in the Southern District of California for coordinated handling during pretrial proceedings. The consolidation is beneficial for all parties in complex pharmaceutical litigation, to reduce repetative discovery and to prevent conflicting rulings from different federal judges.

What are Incretin Mimetics?

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 30, 2013

Tylenol Liver Failure and Red Cap Warnings

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas medical doctor and Dangerous Drugs attorney, I have been warning about the serious and potentially deadly side effects of this commonly used medication. I have had personal experience of the liver damage that this drug can inflict on the young, elderly and sick patients, during my years as working as an ER physician.

Many a night we struggled to save the lives of young kids who would take Tylenol overdoses as a means of committing suicide. In some instances, the children died, some we managed to save with aggressive medical treatments.

According to experts, almost a quarter of patients take more than the recommended dose, which could result in accidental Tylenol overdoses, increasing the risk of liver failure or death.