Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

July 17, 2009

Accutane Lawsuits and Litigation

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

Nurse Association Targets Winkler County Hospital Texas

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The American Nurses Association (ANA), which represents the interests of the nation’s 2.9 million registered nurses, is joining forces with the Texas Nurses Association (TNA) to strongly criticize the recent indictment and prosecution of two registered nurses in Winkler County, Texas, for reporting to the Texas Medical Board their concerns about a physician’s standard of practice at the Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Kermit, Texas.

ANA and TNA are gravely concerned about the chilling effect the county’s actions could have on future nurse “whistle blowers” who advocate for their patients in the nation’s hospitals. An initial hearing on the nurses’ motions to dismiss the case was held July 15 in the Winkler County Courthouse but no rulings were made on any of the motions.

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

Nature & Health Co. Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Six Male Enhancement Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Opteron 1 Inc. dba Nature & Health Co., announced today that it is conducting a voluntary nationwide recall of the company’s five supplement products sold under the following names: LibieXtreme, Y-4ever, Libimax X Liquid, Powermania Liquid and Capsule, Herbal Disiac.

The Company has been informed by representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that lab analysis by FDA of these five samples found they contains either tadalafil, an active ingredient of an FDA-approved drug for erectile dysfunction (ED) , its analog aminotadalafil, or the analog of sidenafil, an active ingredient of another FDA-approved ED drug, making these products unapproved drugs. None of the active drug ingredients are listed on the product labels. The undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates. Additionally, the product may cause side effects, such as headaches and flushing.

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

Gadolinium MRI Dye Linked to Skin Disease

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A Rhode Island woman has joined 516 other plaintiffs in a massive lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that make certain dyes used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The woman, who did not want to be identified, was diagnosed with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in 2006 after being injected with a contrast-agent made with gadolinium . It’s a rare disease that affects people with renal failure, such as kidney disease.

The contrast-agent, or dye, is used during an MRI to help technicians and doctors examine tissue. Patients with healthy kidneys simply flush the gadolinium out. People diagnosed with NSF, however, describe their skin turning wood-like, eventually cracking. The disease can move to organs where it can be fatal.

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.