Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

April 3, 2015

Does Actos Increase the Risk of Bladder Cancer?

Rumors are swirling about potential Actos Bladder Cancer settlements. According to Bloomberg News, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. has indicated that it will pay more than $2.2 billion to settle Actos lawsuits over bladder cancer claims. Asia’s largest drugmaker tentatively agrees to settle more than 8,000 Actos bladder cancer lawsuits in federal and state courts in the U.S.

This potential settlement deal, begs the question; does Actos Increase the Risk of Bladder Cancer? Why would Takeda settle for any amount, if there was no link between Actos and the increased risk of bladder cancer?

Any settlement deal would average about $275,000 for each case, and would be the first in the four year old litigation over the diabetes drug. The U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal Actos bladder cancer lawsuits will require the parties to discuss settlements in advance of a bellwether trial currently scheduled in 2016. The first settlement meeting is scheduled next week.

March 25, 2015

Zofran Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Birth Defect Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Zofran, is an anti-nausea medication that is commonly prescribed for post surgical, chemotherapy and morning sickness patients over the past 20 years. According to experts, recent medical studies have found pregnancy side effects that may increase the risk of severe and debilitating birth defects in children.

GlaxoSmithKline Allegations

Patients have blamed GlaxoSmithKline’s failure to adequately research their medication or warn about the risk of congenital malformations. Parents and injured children are filing Zofran birth defect lawsuits throughout the United States who have developed, Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate and severe Heart Defects, especially Atrial Septal Defect and Ventricular Septal Defect.

March 24, 2015

Xarelto Bleeding Death Attorney Shares Latest Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Dallas Xarelto Bleeding Death attorney and Texas medical doctor, I would like to update my readers about the ongoing status of the Xarelto litigation. Most recently, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the makers of Xarelto; Bayer Healthcare and Johnson and Johnson’s subsidiary, Janssen.

Danny Julien recently filed a claim in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, on behalf of his father, Tommy Julien, who died as a result of uncontrollable bleeding.

According to the personal injury and death lawsuit, Julien suffered from atrial fibrillation and used Xarelto to prevent strokes from the atrial fibrillation. Julien developed severe internal bleeding while on Xarelto, which eventually led to his death.

March 21, 2015

Cook Celect IVC Filter Heart Damage Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Cook Medical is exposed to a personal injury and product liability claim by a Michigan man, who blames the Celect Inferior Vena Cava filter for causing severe injury when it broke apart and punctured his heart.

Larry and Brenda Johnson recently filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, claiming that the filter used to prevent blood clots traveling from the legs to the lungs damaged his heart.

Johnson was implanted with the retrievable IVC filter to prevent blood clots from traveling to his lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism.

March 20, 2015

Actos Bladder Cancer Attorney Shares Settlement News

by Dr. Shezad Malik

After 4 years of intense Actos litigation, surrounding the link between the use of Actos and the development of bladder cancer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals is signaling the raising of the white flag, by entering into a series of settlement discussions.

Serious effort are underway to try and resolve all of the Actos bladder cancer lawsuits. According to an order issued on March 17 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Hanna, there are five settlement meetings scheduled between April 16, 2015 and March 18, 2016, before the next “bellwether” trial goes before a federal jury.

The U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal Actos bladder cancer lawsuits will require the parties to discuss settlements in advance of a bellwether trial scheduled in May 2016. In that trial at least five different cases are consolidated for trial before one jury.

March 12, 2015

J&J Ethicon Hammered in Vaginal Mesh $5.7M Verdict

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Johnson and Johnson (J&J) the world’s largest pharmaceutical and medical device maker is hammered in another loss in the on going transvaginal mesh wars.

In the latest of a series of trials held in state and federal court, the jury has awarded $5.7 million verdict against J&J and its Ethicon subsidiary, over Ethicon’s Gynecare TVT Abbrevo device.

Trans Vaginal Wars Continue

March 3, 2015

FDA Orders Stronger Testosterone Heart Attack Warnings

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to a FDA press release this week, testosterone drug makers must change the products’ labels to warn they are approved for only certain disorders, not to help men treat aging symptoms.

Popular blockbuster drugs, like AbbVie Inc.’s AndroGel and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Axiron, are being restricted and warnings are being required in the labels about a potential risk of heart attack and stroke from using testosterone.

According to Bloomberg, AndroGel ranked second in AbbVie’s drug sales last year, with $934 million.

March 3, 2015

J&J Risperdal Gynecomastia Verdicts

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Johnson & Johnson, (J&J) the world’s largest pharmaceutical and medical device maker recently received a one, two punch over its antipsychotic blockbuster drug, Risperdal.

The drug manufacturer lost the first trial in state court in Philadelphia over allegations that Risperdal causes gynecomastia or abnormal breast growth in boys and young men exposed to the popular antipsychotic drug.

The jury slapped Johnson & Johnson to pony up $2.5 million in compensatory damages to a young Alabama man blamed the company for promoting the “off label” use of Risperdal, which in turn resulted in gynecomastia.

March 2, 2015

Xarelto Wrongful Death Lawsuits Ramping Up

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to court documents and a review of the inventory of filed lawsuits against the makers of Xarelto, the litigation appears to be gathering steam and increasing in breadth and depth. In December 2014, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) granted consolidated pretrial proceedings for all federal Xarelto cases filed against Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen subsidiary over the new-generation blood thinner.

Xarelto Personal Injury Bleeding and Death Cases Over 220

The Xarelto personal injury and product liability claims are centralized before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in the Eastern District of Louisiana.Bayer and Johnson & Johnson is now exposed to at least 220 bleeding cases in the federal multi-district litigation (MDL), with more on the way.

March 1, 2015

J&J to Settle More Defective DePuy ASR Hip Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

DePuy ASR metal on metal hip replacements continue to fail prematurely and require painful and risky revision surgery. Johnson and Johnson, the world’s largest pharmaceutical and medical device maker and its subsidiary DePuy, recently agreed to extend the settlement of its notorious line of failed metal on metal hips, to include cases where the faulty hip was replaced as of January 2015.

This extension, provides further relieve to injured plaintiffs who were locked out of the original settlement, which cut off claims as of August 2013.

Total Number of Settlements Exceeds 9,400 Cases