Pharmaceutical News
Use of Antipsychotics in Children Criticized
FDA Notes Pregnancy Risks with Theravance Drug
A Call for Caution in the Rush to Statins
Judge Throws Out Paxil Test Case
Pharmaceutical Liability
Wapner Newman has developed a reputation for the handling of pharmaceutical liability claims. Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications are meant to enhance health and bring relief from ailments, but sometimes a drug that is intended to help instead causes injury. This may occur because clinical trials usually are not large enough to determine increased risks for contracting rare diseases, when drugs are prescribed to the wrong patients or when co-prescribed with other drugs.
Drug manufacturers, pharmacists and doctors have a responsibility to ensure that the drugs they prescribe their patients do not cause harm. Some drugs have dangerous side effects, while others have the potential to cause long-term damage. These drugs are often the subjects of later recalls. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays a regulatory role in approving and monitoring drug safety following approval, the manufacturer is ultimately liable for any injuries from their medications.
Our Drug Liability Department investigates cases involving dangerous drugs such as Propulsid, Baycol, Rezulin, Phenylpropanolamine (PPA), diet drugs (Fen-Phen and Redux), vaccines, Ephedra and Lotronex. These drugs have caused injuries and even death in patients, and many are no longer prescribed to patients or sold OTC.
A particular threat to consumers is the pain medication, Vioxx. Even though Vioxx was withdrawn from the market in 2004, the side effects of the drug continue to take their toll, resulting in increased risks of heart attack and stroke. Because the drug's maker, Merck, was aware of these side effects as early as 2000, the company was forced to pay $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 lawsuits. Click here to read an article in The New York Times regarding the latest verdict, and if you or a family member have suffered an injury after taking the drug, contact the attorneys at Wapner Newman to get the compensation you deserve.
If you or someone you know has suffered catastrophic injuries from taking unsafe drugs, our pharmaceutical litigation lawyers can assist you in evaluating your case. Click here to contact us for a free case evaluation.
Merck & Co., the manufacturer of Vioxx, will begin making payments on its $4.85 billion settlement in August. Those harmed by Vioxx will begin receiving payments as early as the end of the month.
In May, the drug company agreed to settle claims by as many as 60,000 people who were harmed by taking Vioxx, which increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Merck & Co. will begin paying the settlement with a first payment of $500 million. The first payment will be made on August 6, and payments to those hurt by Vioxx will begin before the end of the month.
Vioxx, introduced in 1999, was a popular anti-inflammatory pain killer for arthritis patients. Merck & Co. pulled Vioxx off the market in 2004 after a study linked the drug to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The $4.85 billion settlement is one of the largest settlements in history. Merck was forced to pay such a large settlement because they were aware of the side effects as early as 2000, a full four years before withdrawing Vioxx from the market.
If you or a loved one were harmed by Vioxx, it's not too late to receive the compensation you deserve. Click here to contact the attorneys at Wapner Newman today for a free case evaluation.
Digitek (digoxin tablets), which is used to treat congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (types of fast heartbeats) was recalled nationwide on April 25, 2008 because patients were exposed to a risk of digitalis toxicity. Digitalis toxicity can cause a number of ailments, including severe cardiac impairment and death.
The recall applied to all oral strength tablets of Digitek, Digoxin, Cardoxin, Lanoxin and Lanoxicaps, all of which may have contained twice the approved level of their active ingredient.
If you have experience a life threatening adverse reaction from Digitek or if your loved one has died as a result, please contact the attorneys at Wapner, Newman, Wigrizer & Brecher today. The attorneys in our Drug Liability Department can tell you more about the recall, the risks and what options you have if your have been harmed by Digitek. Click here to contact us for a free Digitek case evaluation.
*** GADOLINIUM RISKS ***
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) is a medical condition that has come to be associated with exposure to the element gadolinium, when used as a radiocontrast agent during an MRI.
There is strong support in the medical literature of the cause and effect relationship between Gadolinium-based contrast dyes and NSF. In particular, four of these contrast dyes seem to have been implicated including Omniscan, MultiHance, Magnevist, and OptiMARK
For those afflicted with Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), a medical condition that has come to be associated with exposure to the element gadolinium, the prospect of an NSF lawsuit can seem daunting. However, it is important to understand that exposure to gadolinium may involve serious negligence, for which one or more parties may be held to account. Therefore, for anyone who has been or has had a loved one afflicted with NSF, it is important to locate an NSF lawyer or an NSF law firm that may serve your interests. Click here to contact us for a free consultation.
Levaquin (generic levofloxacin) is a powerful, prescription antibiotic made by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical that has been linked to an increased risk of tendon ruptures, tendonitis, and other serious injuries. As part of the group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, Levaquin is commonly used to treat bacterial infections of the sinuses, skin, lungs, ears, airways, bones, and joints.
Tendons can rupture quickly, within hours of taking Levaquin, or may take weeks to develop. In some cases, patients feel pain and notice swelling or bruising in the area of the tendon, but some patients report seeing no symptoms of problems before they are injured.
People who have been injured by Levaquin or another type of fluoroquinolone may have legal rights. They may be eligible to be financially compensated for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages. Click here to contact us for a free consultation.
In February of 2008, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory warning doctors and other health practitioners not to use Baxter Heparin products. According to the FDA, since the beginning of 2008, it has received 350 reports of side effects linked to Baxter Heparin. The FDA also said that four patients had died after being administered the drug.
Shortly thereafter, the FDA announced that Baxter would be recalling all of its remaining Heparin products. By this time, Baxter Heparin had been implicated in more than 400 life-threatening reactions and could have been responsible for as many as 21 deaths.
Heparin's side effects involve a variety of symptoms including abdominal pain, decreased blood pressure, burning sensation, chest pain, diarrhea, dizziness, drug ineffectiveness, dyspepsia, dyspnea, erythema, flushing, headache, hyperhidrosis, hypoesthesia, hypotension, loss of consciousness, malaise, nausea, pallor, palpitations, paresthesia, pharyngeal edema, restlessness, vomiting/retching, stomach discomfort, tachycardia, thirst, trismus, and unresponsiveness to stimuli.
Our Heparin injury lawyers have determined that the drug involved in these reactions was defective, and that Baxter's failure to adequately regulate its suppliers contributed to the Heparin's defects. Click here to contact us for a free evaluation.