Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

Avandia lawsuits took a turn in favor of heart attack victims today. A new Harvard study found that the diabetes drug Avandia have more than double the risk of a heart attack compared with other diabetes drugs.

The soon to be published by the American Diabetes Association found twice the number of heart attacks among 26,375 diabetic patients in patients studied between 2000 and 2006 who took Avandia, compared with diabetic patients in the same time period who took a different oral diabetic medication.

The British medical journal Lancet today retracted a 1998 study linking MMR vaccine to autism because of "incorrect" elements of research.

This is will do nothing to change the mind of people who believe there is a link between MMR vaccine and autism. The reality is there is no definitive study that proves either side's contention.

Our Yasmin lawyers are investigating potential Yasmin lawsuits throughout the country. Yasmin lawsuits continue to rise due in no small part to the fact that there has been no Yasmin recall: this birth control drug has remained on the market.

There are two types of Yasmin lawsuits we are evaluating: The first is for Yasmin users that took Yasmin and suffered deep vein thrombosis (blood clots), pulmonary embolism, stroke, or other heart condition.

The second type of Yasmin lawsuit involves gallbladder injuries. Doctors and the medical literature have indicated a significant spike in gallbladder disease among otherwise healthy young woman. The common thread? Drospirenone-containing birth control medications such as Yasmin.

Why does this happen? Doctors believe that Yasmin can increase cholesterol levels in bile while at the same time decreasing gallbladder movement, leading to gallstones.

What specifically are the injuries? Plaintiff's Yasmin lawsuits claim many women on Yasmin must have their gallbladder take out, requiring surgery, scarring and sometimes other long term effects.

If you believe you may have a potential Yasmin lawsuit, call 800-553-8082 or get a free online Yasmin lawsuit consultation.

Public Citizen is asking the FDA to take Savella off the market. Savella is a drug used to treat fibromylagia, a tough disease that doctors have a difficult time solving that causes a host of maladies including muscle soreness and pain, headache, fatigue and depression.

Public Citizen's beef with Savella? Essentially, this consumer watchdog argues that Savella just does not work and it causes high blood pressure. With respect to causing high blood pressure in some patients, this is set forth very clearly on Savella label as well as the increased risk of suicidal behavior.

The manufacturers of Savella, as you can imagine, disagree. They contend that the safety and efficacy of Savella was clear established in clinical trials and that the risk of high blood pressure is worth the benefits of Savella.

There are no lawsuits yet involving Savella and, regardless of who is right here or even if there is an eventual recall because post-marketing data finds the clinical trial findings to be false, I don't think there is going to be any litigation involving Savella.

Toyota Motors recalled 2.3 million cars Thursday because Toyota learned that accelerator pads may stick, causing the car or truck to unintentionally speed up. The recall covers car and truck models 2005 to 2010. This recall includes the 2005-10 Avalon; 2007-10 Camry and Tundra; 2008-10 Sequoia; 2009-10 RAV4, Corolla and Matrix; and 2010 Highlander. It also covers the 2009-10 Pontiac Vibe.

It appears that the genesis of the recall comes a car accident in December in which four people died when a Toyota Avalon went off the road into a pond, apparently from sudden acceleration which is the problem that led to the recall.

Chrysler has issued a recall of almost 25,000 vehicles with defective breaks that may cause brake failure. The Chrysler Recall applies to a number of 2009 and 2010 cars and trucks, these include, the 2009-2010 Dodge Ram trucks and 2010 Chrysler Sebring, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Nitro and Commander and Grand Cherokee SUVs.

Product liability lawyers do not often praise auto giants. But it seems like Chrysler is being very responsible by getting out on the front end of a problem before people start getting seriously hurt or killed in accidents.

The Medtronic Sprint Fidelis wire lead lawsuits have been treading water since Riegel v. Medtronic, waiting for the Medical Device Safety Act of 2009 to legislatively reverse the Supreme Court's pro-preemption decision.

Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts last night was likely a blow for those Medtronic lead wire victims that have turned their desperate eyes to Congress for help. Nothing is going to have on medical devices until after health care reform. Shortly before or after that vote, Scott Brown is going to be seated and it is going be that much harder to pass anything in the Senate.

It was a rough road for Medtronic leads and Seroquel lawsuits in 2009. Regrettably, 2010 does not appear to be much different.

Johnson & Johnson recalled several hundred batches of Benadryl, Motrin, Rolaids, Simply Sleep, St. Joseph Aspirin and Tylenol, among others, due to consumer complaints of a moldy smell upon opening.

Is this recall going to lead to lawsuits? I doubt it, there have been no reports of serious injuries that I am aware of that would lead to a products liability lawsuit. But J&J looks bad in all of this because the recall comes 20 months after complaints began. Should they have to jump on a contaminant that does not appear to cause serious injury in a matter of days? Maybe not. But 20 months later? If nothing else, someone in PR has to either be listened to or fired.

Apparently, chemicals used to treat the wood pallets that transport the products were source of the moldy smell, which would explain why the contamination was across several products.

A South Dakota woman filed a lawsuit against two mining companies and Johnson and Johnson last week, alleging the companies have been failing for decades to warn consumers of the association of talcum powder and ovarian cancer.

Plaintiff's lawsuit alleges that talc particles cause tumors in human ovaries. Plaintiff used talc-based body powder each day for over 30 year and contracted ovarian cancer in 2006.

I suspect the thrust of the lawsuit is that the National Toxicology Program found in 1993 that cosmetic grade talc caused tumors in animal subjects. The FDA has taken no action and cosmetic grade talc remains unregulated by the federal government.

Do I think that the Plaintiff will be able to show that her ovarian cancer was caused by talc at trial? I have no idea but I suspect not. Would I have liked to know about this National Toxicology Program finding before I wrote this post this morning? Obviously, yes.

Voltaren Gel may cause liver damage according to a statement by the FDA MedWatch site last week. As a result of these reports of problems with Voltaren Gel, new warnings will be added to the drug to address the possibility that it cause liver damage. The FDA is advising doctors to measure the titer of a specific enzyme in patients who are undergoing long-term treatment with Voltaren Gel.

Voltaren Gel (diclofenac sodium topical gel 1%) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is used to treat the sometimes intense pain cause by osteoarthritis of joints in the knees and hands. .

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, where all Yaz cases filed in federal court now reside, has posted to its website the minutes from the initial conference, held on November 19, 2009.

Yaz lawsuits continue to move forward. If you have a potential Yaz lawsuit, call 800-553-8082 or get a free on-line Yaz internet consultation with a Yaz lawyer.

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of $82.6 million verdict against Ford Motor Company. In the appeal, Ford's product liability lawyers argued that Ford should not have to pay $55 million in punitive damages awarded in a Ford Explorer rollover lawsuit because the design met federal safety standards.

No question, $82 million is a chunk of change. But Plaintiff was paralyzed in the crash. All of us would take being able to walk over $82 million.

The jury obviously was sending Ford a message in this case.

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein put our a press release on a Yaz lawsuit last month involving a 33 year-old woman who brought a state court claim in New Jersey.

Plaintiffs' Yaz lawyers allege in the lawsuit that Yaz is a dangerous prescription drug sold without appropriate warnings about the risk of serious injuries. In this case, Plaintiff's lawsuit claims that Bayer improperly advertised and over-promoted Yaz for treating acne while knowing that the risks of using Yaz for this purpose outweighed any benefits Yaz could bring. Obviously, there are other drug on the market that would seem to have a more favorable safety profile than Yaz.

The press release quotes the the Plaintiff bringing the Yaz lawsuit:

Several months later, I developed sharp pains in my left shoulder and had difficulty breathing," Atkinson continued. "I went to my doctor for an examination. Testing revealed multiple blood clots in both lungs. I was hospitalized immediately. Fortunately, the treatments eliminated the blood clots, but only one month later I was diagnosed with gallstones. I then had to undergo gall bladder surgery in January 2009. I have suffered months of anxiety and nausea related to these medical procedures and drugs given to treat the adverse side effects I developed from taking Yaz."

Accordingly, Plaintiff's lawsuit alleges that she never would have "developed blood clots, been hospitalized, or forced to undergo numerous medical tests, procedures, and gall bladder surgery" if Bayer had presented honestly the risk associated with using Yaz as an acne medication.

If you or someone you love has used Yasmin/Yaz/Ocella and has suffered from blood clots, stroke, DVT, heart attack or gallbladder injury, or you are lawyer with a Yasmin/Yaz case for which you would like to involve co-counsel or you think might be a candidate for a lawsuit or future potential global settlement, please call one of our Yasmin/Yaz attorneys at 800-553-8082 or get a free no obligation Internet consultation for your potential Yasmin/Yaz lawsuit.

A Montana jury has awarded $3.2 million to a woman attributing degenerative jaw problems after taking to bone-strengthening drug Zometa. In the lawsuit against Novartis Pharmaceuticals, the Plaintiff alleged Novartis failed to warn that Zometa could cause osteonecrosis.

This is a big victory for plaintiffs in the Zometa lawsuits.

For a comprehensive overview Stryker hip implants lawsuits of these, click on this Stryker hip implant lawyer link.

This is hysterical:

Datamonitor attended this year's International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics World Congress in Cape Town to assess the state of the women's healthcare market. The overwhelming presence of Bayer-Schering at the conference confirms the company's strength in the contraceptives field and its commitment to maintaining its market-leading position.

Bayer is getting lawsuits from everyone, including their own investors, over the debacle that is Yaz/Yasmin. Yet Datamonitor went to "assess the state of the women's healthcare market" and found Bayer still rules the roots. Datamonitor also went to access at the state of David Letterman's marriage and found it better than ever.

This is all so "George Bush sitting inside the bubble being told how everyone loves him" esque. It is great to have a posse like Bayer appears to have that always tells you how great you are. For $125, Datamonitor will send you a SWOT analysis of Bayer AG. I'm tempted to get it just to see it if is more or less of a puff, cheerleader piece than the program you get at a Baltimore Orioles game. Vegas odds: push.

Our lawyers are now looking at Januvia (sitagliptin), which has been associated with an increased risk pancreatitis.

Our lawyers are also looking at Seroquel, and Byetta cases involving pancreatitis.

If you think you may have a Januvia pancreatitis lawsuit, call our law firm at 800--553-8082 or get a free Januvia consultation on line.

• Drug Injury Lawyer Blog Post on Januvia FDA Warning
• More Information on Januvia lawsuits
• Wall Street Journal Blog Post

Posted by Ronald V. Miller, Jr. | Permalink | Email This Post

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John Cord gives his thought on the Yaz MDL hearing yesterday in Richmond.

The first of over 500 gadolinium MRI contrast NSF lawsuits is set for May 24, 2010 in Ohio.

These MRI contrast lawsuits involve gadolinium, a paramagnetic metal used for some MRI and MRA scans because gadolinium makes it easier for doctors to understand the scan's finding. However, Plaintiffs' lawyers that have filed these cases - as my law firm has - contend that the manufacturers of these contrast agents should have know that patients with moderate to severe kidney impairment would get NSF, an awful disease that causes fibrosis or scarring of the skin and tissue throughout the patient's body.

Regardless of where you stand on the question of whether the manufacturers of MRI contrast containing gadolinium were negligent - and I think plaintiffs' lawyers have a very strong argument in these MRI contrast lawsuits - it is impossible to deny how tragic these NSF cases are.

Our gadolinium NSF lawyers are investigating these MRI contrast lawsuits around the country. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with NSF/NSD, call one of our lawyers for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or click here for a no obligation on-line case evaluation.

The first of over 500 gadolinium MRI contrast NSF lawsuits is set for May 24, 2010 in Ohio.

These MRI contrast lawsuits involve gadolinium, a paramagnetic metal used for some MRI and MRA scans because gadolinium makes it easier for doctors to understand the scan's finding. However, Plaintiffs' lawyers that have filed these cases - as my law firm has - contend that the manufacturers of these contrast agents should have know that patients with moderate to severe kidney impairment would get NSF, an awful disease that causes fibrosis or scarring of the skin and tissue throughout the patient's body.

Regardless of where you stand on the question of whether the manufacturers of MRI contrast containing gadolinium were negligent - and I think plaintiffs' lawyers have a very strong argument in these MRI contrast lawsuits - it is impossible to deny how tragic these NSF cases are.

Our gadolinium NSF lawyers are investigating these MRI contrast lawsuits around the country. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with NSF/NSD, call one of our lawyers for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or click here for a no obligation on-line case evaluation.