Product Liability Lawyer Blog

January 28, 2016

A Look at Xarelto Commercials

A recent article from Digital Trends takes a look at the frequently aired Xaretlo commercial and the health issues surrounding the drug. In case you haven’t seen the commercial, which would indicate you do not watch any sporting events, and likely do not watch television at all, it stars Kevin Nealon from Saturday Night Live fame, legendary golfer Arnold Palmer, and NASCAR’s Brian Vickers all having a friendly game of golf.

As implausible as this scenario sounds, the next thing the group of close friends do is discuss how Xarelto has helped their lives. Vickers said he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg, and would require a blood thinning medication so he talked to his doctor about Xaretlo. He is even shown wearing a Xarelto sponsored racing uniform, though they are not actually his sponsor. It should also be noted that the fine print said Vickers had to stop racing while taking Xaretlo. Continue reading

January 25, 2016

Opioids May Be Linked to Lower Testosterone Levels

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While it is getting impossible to watch a sports even on television without seeing an add for testosterone replacement therapy, doctors do not know that much about the so-called medical condition of low testosterone, new research is suffering that a patient is significantly more likely to experience lower testosterone levels when he is taking prescription opioid based pain medications like Percocet according to a recent article from Renal & Urology News.

First, it should be noted that researchers at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of giant drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, conducted this study. As we have seen too many times in the past, some of these major drug manufacturers have been more interested in making huge profits than they are in patient safety. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that failure to warn patients and doctors of a known danger and defective design of a drug have been the basis for thousands of dangerous drug lawsuits. Continue reading

January 23, 2016

Study Shows Teen Girls Prescribed Topamax without Advice about Birth Control

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Topamax, manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceutical (Johnson & Johnson) is known as an anticonvulsant medication. Topamax has various uses but it is most commonly given to patients with epilepsy as a means to prevent seizures and also way to prevent migraines.

However, these are not the only uses for this powerful anticonvulsant medication. There are a variety of off-label uses for Topamax, such as weight loss, treatment for headaches, cluster headaches, anxiety, treatment for bulimia nervosa, smoking cessation, and many other conditions. It is often given to teenage girls for weight control, bulimia, and even acne control, though there is no empirical evidence it works for that purpose. Continue reading

January 21, 2016

USDA Issues Major Beef Products Recall

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Food poisoning is one of the worst experiences a person can go through. In even the most mild of cases, it often involves a lot of pain and discomfort and time missed from work. However, what many people do not realize is that is that, depending on the age of the victim and the strain of bacteria or virus involved, contaminated food can lead to serious injury or death.

In cases of serious food poisoning, the plaintiff typically follows a negligence-based cause of action. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the normal negligence standard is that defendant failed to act as a reasonable and prudent person to prevent foreseeable injuries to foreseeable plaintiffs. This can also be the basis for a food poisoning products liability case. Continue reading

January 19, 2016

Hip Implant Patient Sues DePuy Orthopedics for Negligence

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A defective hip replacement implant can lead to serious problems for an unsuspecting patient. Many of these devices have been shown to fail completely, become loose and cause pain and discomfort, and even release shards of metal into the patient’s bloodstream, causing a form of blood poisoning known as metalosis.

These defective hip implants have led to the need for second or even third surgeries and extended painful recovery periods with time missed from work and away from home and family. These defective hip devices have also been the basis for many personal injury lawsuits. Continue reading

January 17, 2016

FDA Issues Press Release about Transvaginal Mesh (TVM) Dangers

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently issued a press release dealing with new changes to regulations regarding the use of transvaginal mesh (TVM) implants.

Surgical mesh has been around for decades. In the 1950s, surgeons used the material to repair hernias. Two decades later, surgeons began experimenting with the use of surgical mesh to treat a serious medical condition in women known as pelvic organ prolapse (POP). However, at that time, surgeons would make an incision in the patient’s abdomen to implant the mesh, and this led to a longer and more painful recovery than many patients would have liked. Continue reading

January 15, 2016

More Trouble with Xarelo Clinical Trials

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Xarelto has come under a lot of fire lately, as thousands of people have developed a deadly internal bleeding disorder after taking the anticoagulant, and more than 60 people have died. The basis of these claims are that the makers of Xarelto, Bayer and Janssen (a division of Johnson & Johnson), designed a defective drug and failed to adequately warn plaintiffs of a danger about which they knew or should have known.

Xarelto is a member a relatively new class of drugs known as New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs), which were designed to compete with traditional blood thinning medications such as Coumadin (Warfarin). Warfarin is a blood thinner that is prescribed to many patients who suffer from a serious medical condition know as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Afib is basically an irregular heartbeat, which can lead to the formation of clots in the deep veins of the legs. If the clots break free, they can travel through the body until they puncture the lungs or cause a stroke if the blood supply to the brain is blocked. When a clot punctures a patient’s lung, this is known as a pulmonary embolism (PE). Continue reading

January 12, 2016

Victim Filed Lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for Defective Hip

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Hip replacement surgery operations were once reserved for elderly patients who could no longer walk and those with a traumatic injury to the hip joint. These days, hundreds of thousands of total hip replacement procedures are being performed each year, and the trend seems to be increasing every year. Doctors are performing the surgery on younger patients who have developed arthritis from sports injuries and normal wear and tear. With more an more people engaging in activities like long distance running, including running marathons, it is no wonder we are seeing higher rates of joint disease. While running may keep you get in shape, it can be very hard on your joints.

Most doctors who perform these procedures are well-trained and competent surgeons who properly advise a patient of the risks and then perform as close to perfect a total hip replacement as possible. While there is going to a be a lot of pain and discomfort and a long recovery period, most patients end up very happy with the results. Continue reading

January 9, 2016

Drug Company Hopes Xarelto Can Finally Overtake Warfarin Due to Antidote

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

With the regular NFL season coming to close and playoffs heating up, there will be more people watching football than at any other point in the season. This will, of course, culminate with Super Bowl 50. During the Super Bowl, many will tune in for the big game and others will come just for the commercials. Super Bowl commercials are such a big draw that advertisers will pay over $10 million for a single 30-second spot.

As we have seen during the regular season, we can expect to see commercials for Xarelto, along with Pradaxa and Eliquis, and possibly Savaysa. These are all members of a new class of drugs called New Oral Anticoagulants (NOAC). They are prescribed for patients who suffer from a serious, but manageable health condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Afib patients have an irregular heartbeat that causes large clots to form deep within in the veins of the legs in a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). When one of these clots breaks free where it has formed, it can travel through the bloodstream causing disastrous results. It can puncture a hole in the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism (PE) that can be deadly. The clots can also block the flow of blood to the brain, causing a stroke. Continue reading

January 7, 2016

Mary Meeks v. Hologic, Inc.: Defective Medical Devices

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Mary Meeks v. Hologic, Inc., a case from the Supreme Court of Mississippi, involved a doctor at a women’s clinic who performed an outpatient diagnostic procedure known as a hysteroscopy as well an endometrial ablation on the plaintiff. During this procedure, her doctor used a Novasure medical device. Hologic is the medical device company that manufactures Novasure.

Two days after having the medical procedure, plaintiff went back to the medical center complaining of vomiting, nausea, and pain in her abdomen. Doctors did an initial test and determined plaintiff had a perforated uterus and the surrounding wall was blanched in a manner consistent with being burned. Continue reading