Millions of Americans take over-the-counter herbal and botanical supplements every day, but there is growing evidence that these supplements can interfere with a number of prescription medications for everything from high blood pressure to cancer. According to a recent Wall Street Journal story, researchers have discovered that some supplements change the way the body metabolizes drugs. In…
DetailsIn response to a surge of consumer complaints about the Essure permanent contraceptive device since October 2013, the FDA has now ordered its manufacturer, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, to perform a postmarket safety study. In addition, the FDA has proposed a box warning and a patient checklist highlighting the potential adverse events that could occur following implantation of…
DetailsA footnote in a plaintiff’s brief in a federal lawsuit against two major pharmaceutical companies has led the New York Times to pose an unsettling question: did Bayer and Johnson & Johnson mislead the editors of a leading medical journal in an effort to protect Xarelto, an anti-clotting drug that is a sales blockbuster for…
DetailsA footnote in a plaintiff’s brief in a federal lawsuit against two major pharmaceutical companies has led the New York Times to pose an unsettling question: did Bayer and Johnson & Johnson mislead the editors of a leading medical journal in an effort to protect Xarelto, an anti-clotting drug that is a sales blockbuster for…
DetailsAccording to Madris Tomes, chief executive officer of Device Events, the FDA may have significantly underestimated fetal deaths among women who used the Essure Contraceptive device. While the FDA has cited five fetal deaths, Tomes had indicated that there were in fact 303 fetal deaths linked to the product. Essure is a permanent contraceptive device…
DetailsAccording to an analysis published in PDS, Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, most drug manufacturers are guilty of under reporting serious side effects of drugs on the market. Drug companies are required to investigate and report side effects of their products, however they often fail to report or file incomplete reports which makes it difficult to…
DetailsTwo Philadelphia juries have found in favor of women injured by pelvic mesh products and awarded in excess of $10 million in each case. On February 10, 2016 Sharon Carlino was awarded $13.5 million for injuries she sustained including constant pain and discomfort and the inability to have sex. In December 2015 Patricia Hammons was…
DetailsThe centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that there were more drug overdose deaths in 2014 than in any year previously. The majority involved opioids (prescription pain relievers and heroin). In 2014, drug overdose deaths in the U. S. Outnumbered motor vehicle crash deaths. The report noted that the increase in overdose…
DetailsMore than 200 lawsuits filed against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. These lawsuits allege that the drug Zofran (Ondanestron) causes birth defects including heart defects and cleft palate. Zofran is an anti-nausea drug that was approved by the FDA for use in chemotherapy patients…
DetailsOn Monday February 22, 2016, a St. Louis jury found in favor of the family of a woman who died of ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson baby powder for years and awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $62 million in punitive damages. This is the first state-court case over these claims to…
Details