- Scott Kappes | March 31, 2008 12:08 PM |
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MiscellaneousA new study suggests that the cell phones, that almost all of us use on a daily basis could be more damaging to our health than smoking. According to British Vini Khurana, one of the would most renowned neurosurgeons, mobile phone use over a 10 year period could more than double a person's risk for developing brain cancer. With about a billion smokers and over three billion cellular phone users...
- Scott Kappes | March 28, 2008 4:33 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThis week the FDA launched an investigation into an increased risk of cancer and death that may be associated with the Johnson & Johnson foot gel, Regranex. The foot gel, approved by the FDA in 1997, is used to treat leg and foot wounds most commonly associated with diabetes. A study found an increase in the number of cancer deaths among patients who had been prescribed the medication three or...
- Scott Kappes | March 27, 2008 11:35 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsA federal judge has dismissed the case of a 25 year-old California man who charged the cockpit of a plane on Thanksgiving forcing an emergency landing in Fargo, North Dakota. Prosecutors asked for the interfering with an airplane flight crew charge to be dropped against Andrew Smith after psychiatric exam revealed that Smith was suffering from psychotic disorder caused by Pfizer's smoking...
- Scott Kappes | March 27, 2008 12:05 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThree weeks into the trail, yesterday it was announced that Eli Lilly has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the state of Alaska over the popular antipsychotic medication Zyprexa. The lawsuit alleged that Zyprexa caused patients to develop diabetes after taking the medication. The state was seeking to recover Medicaid money spent on both the medication itself and the...
- Scott Kappes | March 26, 2008 1:15 PM |
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Wrongful DeathThe family of a 45 year-old construction worker, who was tragically killed when a crane collapsed in Midtown Manhattan, plans to sue New York City for $30 million. The family of Clifford Canzona, who was atop the crane when it plummeted nearly 200 feet without warning, claims that neglect caused or contributed to the accident resulting in Canzona's death. The March 15 accident left seven people...
- Scott Kappes | March 24, 2008 3:48 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsOver the Easter weekend the FDA issued an alert to consumers and grocers about a possible risk of salmonella associated with cantaloupes imported by Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer. Research has lead health authorities to believe that cantaloupes imported by this company may be associated with over 50 reported cases of salmonella. All cantaloupes imported by this company...
- Scott Kappes | March 20, 2008 2:42 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThis week a wrongful death lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of a New Jersey mother of two who tragically died after suffering a seizure on December 7, 2007. Jackie Kelly Bozicev, 32, had recently moved into a new home with her husband, Robert, and two young children Mary Kelly and Matthew. Jackie and Robert planned two have more children in the future, but wanted to hold off for a...
- Scott Kappes | March 19, 2008 5:30 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThis week Amgen and Wyeth updated the warning label for their rheumatoid arthritis medication, Enbrel, to inform healthcare professionals and patients of an increased risk of infection associated with the drug. The drug already carried a risk of infection warning; however, the update expands this warning to include information about screening and monitoring patients for tuberculosis (TB). In...
- Scott Kappes | March 17, 2008 2:24 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsToday MEGA Brands in conjunction with U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission issued a voluntary recall of two magnetic toys that could pose a serious risk to children. The Magnastik and Magnetix Jr. Pre-School Magnetic Toys were recalled due to the risk that small magnets contained in some parts may become dislodged from their housing and can cause severe, even fatal, injury if ingested. If...
- Scott Kappes | March 14, 2008 2:16 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThis week a Pennsylvania judge ruled that federal law cannot preempt a state product liability lawsuit regarding GlaxoSmithKline's antidepressant Paxil. The ruling was centered on the alleged failure of GSK to warn patients and healthcare professionals about an increased risk of suicide associated with the medication. Judge Allan L. Tereshko concluded that federal preemption does not prohibit...
- Scott Kappes | March 13, 2008 1:09 PM |
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Tractor-Trailer AccidentsYesterday a California appeals court reinstated an $82.6 million award to a woman who was left a paraplegic after a rollover accident in her Ford Explorer. Benetta Buell-Wilson's spine was crushed when the vehicle rolled over and the roof collapsed due to a defect that Ford was allegedly aware of and failed to remedy or warn consumers about. At the original trial a jury awarded Buell-Wilson and...
- Scott Kappes | March 11, 2008 8:20 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsToday the FDA informed health care professionals of life-threatening adverse events and death in patients taking Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended Release Suspension. According to the FDA website doctors have prescribed the hydrocodone containing cough suppressant to children under the recommended age of six. Additional reports of physicians prescribing the medication at more frequent intervals...
- Scott Kappes | March 11, 2008 1:19 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsLast Friday the FDA added the strictest warning available to three anemia medications. The black box warning warns of an increased risk of death and tumor growth associated with the medications. Amgen's Aranesp and Epogen and Johnson & Johnson's Procrit have been shown to accelerate tumor growth in patients with several different types of cancer. The drugs had been linked to similar risks in...
- Scott Kappes | March 10, 2008 10:33 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsLast Thursday a jury ordered Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Upjohn to shell out over $27 million in compensation to an Arkansas woman who developed breast cancer after taking hormone replacement therapy. The jury ruled in favor of Donna Scroggin citing that the companies failed to provide adequate warnings of the drugs Premarin and Prempro. The jury decided that Scroggin should receive $19.3 million...
- Scott Kappes | March 06, 2008 1:01 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsIn September of 2005 Faith Gibson of Canada gave birth to Meah, a beautiful baby girl. Meah was born with a hole in her heart, which required surgery and a seven-month hospital stay. Faith believed at the time that her daughter's condition was just an unfortunate happenstance, but last year after reading an article about birth defects associated with the prescription antidepressant Paxil she...
- Scott Kappes | March 04, 2008 3:27 PM |
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MiscellaneousLast week an FDA advisory panel met to advise the agency on better ways to communicate with the public. In recent years many people have lost much of their faith in the FDA. The FDA issues public advisories about safety matters involving prescription medication, medical devices, and tainted foods among other products. The agency's communicates with the public through press releases to the media...
- Scott Kappes | March 03, 2008 2:38 PM |
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MiscellaneousA class action lawsuit filed in Eastern District of Texas argues that the 2003 Tort Reform Act limiting non-economic damages is unconstitutional. The Tort Reform Act overhauled civil litigation in Texas by placing a cap on non-economic damages. The bill has been a source of controversy since its induction. The bill does not place a cap on economic losses including medical expenses and loss of...