Modern blood thinners are among the most highly-prescribed drugs in the country. More than 5 million American patients are taking factor Xa inhibitors to lower the risk of suffering another heart attack or stroke, or to treat a myriad of conditions from irregular heartbeats and heart disease, to lupus and blood vessel disease. Modern…
Data shows that an estimated ten times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of opioid drug use in 2016. While it is true that U.S. doctors prescribe more pain pills (primarily oxycodone and hydrocodone) than their German counterparts, experts say that the U.S. opioid crisis boils down to more than over-prescribing. …
The California-based pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, Inc. is being sued by dozens of HIV/AIDS patients who claim the company stalled the development of a safer drug in its own laboratory for the sole purpose of maximizing profits. Lawsuits claim Gilead put profits over safety The plaintiffs are seeking to hold Gilead accountable for…
The unbearable pain of arthritis, hip fracture, ankylosing spondylitis, or bone dysplasia drives more than 300,000 Americans to seek hip replacement surgery each year. Patients with limited mobility turn to artificial hip technology after hearing promises that they can regain their full range of motion and quality of life again. However, for every 100…
Millions of Americans use heartburn medications, both over the counter (OTC) and prescription-grade. While some patients have been able to safely take these drugs on a short-term basis for the relief of occasional heartburn symptoms, others who use the drugs on a long-term basis have developed severe kidney disease. Thousands of patients who have…
The Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2019, more than 25% of U.S. teens used e-cigarettes. One of those teens recently filed a federal lawsuit against vape products manufacturer, Juul, alleging that the company used misleading advertising and promotional efforts that were directly responsible for his nicotine addiction. Many Juul lawsuits have followed and…
Truvada maker Gilead Sciences, Inc. has recently become the target of over 1,000 lawsuits alleging bone loss and related injuries. However, the company is facing a new lawsuit of a different sort – and from an unlikely party. On November 6, 2019, the United States, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services,…
Since the first hip replacement was performed in 1960, patients have been relying on this operation to restore their mobility and independence. Hip replacement surgeries have become increasingly popular over the years, with more patients getting implants at a younger age. In fact, more than 300,000 of these surgeries are performed each year in the…
Zantac was voluntarily pulled from shelves as a “precautionary measure” after it was determined that more safety assessments are needed after 1,500 samples tested positive for a carcinogen impurity. Ranitidine (Zantac) is an H2 blocker used to treat heartburn. It has been on the market since 1981. Doctors write 15 million prescriptions of Zantac a…
Electronic cigarettes were first developed in the early 1960s, but more than 40 years passed before manufacturers combined a battery, an ultrasonic atomizer, and plastic cartridges with nicotine and flavorants to create the current variants of e-cigarettes. Those components generate moist smokeless air that contains nicotine, flavors, and other substances, supposedly with reduced tar and…