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Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $70 million to a male teen whose use of antipsychotic drug Risperdal caused him to grow breasts. greenpills

The verdict was handed down in a state court in Pennsylvania, after jurors concluded the drug-making giant failed to disclose that its product could cause gynecomastia, the unnatural growth of large mammary glands in males. Not only that, jurors concluded, but the company actively and with intent destroyed, falsified or hid records that pointed to this fact.

This $70 million damage award interestingly only includes compensatory damages, as opposed to punitive damages. It also is significantly more than the $2.5 million awarded to an Alabama teen in 2015 who developed size 46 DD breasts.  Continue reading

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Trial is underway in one of the first lawsuits heard by a jury regarding drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Synthes Inc. using a type of bone cement absent FDA approval on the spines of patients who later died in surgery, just moments after they were injected with the compound.spine

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in a Washington state court, focuses on the intentional off-label use of the bone cement which was known to be risky. What should have been a routine procedure to treat back pain for a 67-year-old patient in 2007 ended up killing her. Patient’s family sued Synthes, the surgeon and the hospital for use of the bone cement, known as Norian, even though it wasn’t approved for use in back pain surgery.

Many are closely watching the development of this case, making it high-stakes not just for the parties involved but for future plaintiffs as well. It’s being covered by Courtroom View Network (CVN). Plaintiffs allege the manufacturer marketed Norian for use in spinal surgeries, despite a company physician characterizing such use as akin to “human experimentation.”  Continue reading

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There have been a lot of advances in the total hip replacement surgery process over the past decade.  Much of that has focused on the development of new artificial hip joints as well as computer aided methods of performing the operation.  There have also been improvements in the cutting guides surgeons use to know where to make the cuts and align the device.

untitled-1019029-mA cutting guide is similar to a carpenter’s jig and allows the surgeon to make as precise as possible cut in the patients existing joint and bone to allow for a proper tight fit for the new artificial joint.  The better the new joint matches up, the less of a chance there will be any complications later on. Continue reading

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Boston Scientific Corp. is a named defendant in some 36,000 product liability lawsuits related to its surgical mesh devices, also sometimes referred to as pelvic mesh, pelvic slings or transvaginal mesh. These devices have been touted as a means to repair a host of pelvic disorders in women, but instead, they have proven extremely dangerous. womanwindow

Now, the company is doing something it probably should have done long ago: Updating its safety warnings.

Of course, it shouldn’t take 35,000 lawsuits to prompt this kind of action from a pharmaceutical manufacturer, but better late than never. The question some people might have, though, is whether the safety warnings will have any impact on their ability to bring a civil lawsuit against the firm. The answer is probably not, so long as the surgery took place before the safety warnings were updated. Each individual case will be different, and there will be a lot of factors to consider, which is why we encourage anyone who suspects they may have suffered injury as a result of these devices to seek immediate legal counsel. Continue reading

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Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is facing down two lawsuits filed by attorneys general in California and Washington for failure to disclose the risks associated with their pelvic mesh – also known as vaginal mesh – devices. woman2

As it now stands, the company is already a named defendant in 25,000 personal injury lawsuits filed by U.S. consumers over the surgical mesh, which is touted as a means to shore up weakened pelvic muscles and help to control urinary incontinence. But plaintiffs – overwhelmingly women – say that’s not what happened.

Instead, they allege this device was both defectively designed and defectively manufactured and that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers of the potential risks. As a result, tens of thousands of woman and their families have suffered profound adverse effects, from intense and chronic pain, urinary dysfunction, inflammation and loss of sexual function or incredible pain during sexual intercourse.  Continue reading

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When the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 handed down its decision in Pliva v. Mensing, it essentially left a large group of people – those who use generic prescription drugs – without any recourse if those drugs proved dangerous or defective.

Pills pouring from a medication bottle

Generally, it’s been held that makers of brand name drugs can’t be liable for generic drugs because they don’t actually make them. The Pliva decision made it so that generic drug makers can’t be liable for failure to warn (a key in any defective drug case) because by federal law, generic drug makers don’t write the labels. The labels are written by the brand name manufacturers and then approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

All this makes it interesting that the California Supreme Court will be taking on the issue of “innovator liability,” also known as brand manufacturer liability for generics in the case of T.H. v. Novartis Pharm. Corp. You see, California is one of the few states where courts have held that brand name manufacturers could in fact be liable for dangerous generic drugs. That ruling was handed down in Conte v. Wyeth, in which a California appeals court determined the brand name maker of a drug called Reglan, used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease, could be found liable for injury caused by the generic version. The California Supreme Court declined to review that decision, so it’s been generally accepted in that state.  Continue reading

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A recent article from Cleveland.com takes a look at how drug companies may be manipulating potential patients by asking them to speak to their doctors about a particular drug.  This is actually a fairly contentious issue, as drug companies formerly were not able to market directly to patients through television and magazine ads.  Eventually, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed direct marketing, and that is when everything changed.

perscription-drug-case-1156714-mBefore this, there were no cartoon characters, or even a claymation lower intestine that tell us which medication can help with digestion.  One of the drugs discussed in this article is Eliquis.  Eliquis is member a class of drugs known as new oral anticoagulants (NOACs).  This medicine is for patients who suffer from a serious medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Continue reading

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According to a recent news feature from the News Star, a couple has been arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine and testosterone.  Authorities say the arrest was the result of a routine traffic stop that yielded probable cause to search the couple’s home where additional contraband was found.

ijectionLaw enforcement personnel say they allegedly saw the driver of vehicle make an illegal maneuver and effectuated a traffic stop.  Once they approached the car, they say they detected an odor of burnt marijuana and also saw that the couple had an infant in the vehicle. Continue reading

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According to a recent news feature from NFL.com, legendary coach and sports analyst John Madden is recovering from a total hip replacement operation.

Following his long coaching career that earned him induction into the NFL Hall of Fame, Madden spent many years in the broadcast booth.  One of his more famous traditions was covering the Thanksgiving Day game each year, and that was where he introduced most fans to the “turducken” meal.

or-room-lights-33324-mMadden had retired from broadcasting in 2008 due to serious health conditions he was experiencing at the time. The following year, he had a major heart surgery.  Despite his retirement, the coach takes part in a major charity event each year, along with Steve Mariucci.  He could not attend this year due to the fact that he was recovering from the total hip replacement surgery.  At the event this year, Mariucci reported that his friend was doing fine and was well on the road to recovery. Continue reading

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Every time we turn on the television or use the Internet, we are hit with a seemingly endless stream of advertisements for prescription medications. If we are watching a sporting event on television, many of the ads target male viewers. One of the frequently advertised drugs in these ads is testosterone replacement therapy hormones.

tylenolTestosterone therapy drugs were first placed on the market in the 1970s to treat a relatively rare medical condition known as hypogonadism.  This condition involves a young male patient who does not have enough testosterone for normal development.  The testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) drugs were shown to work, but it is important to understand that a patient with hypogonadism will have an extremely low testosterone count.  Continue reading

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Disclaimer – The settlements above are only a sample of cases represented by our office. Each case is different and the amount of a potential resolution of your case will vary considerably depending on a substantial amount of factors. Some case results were worked in conjunction with partnering law firms.

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