Product Liability

August 7, 2014

Texas Metal on Metal Defective Hip Lawsuit Update

There has been some success in the lawsuits involving thousands of defective metal on metal hips. Some of the lawsuits have been settled and thousands more are still pending against the metal hip manufacturers including Zimmer (now the new proud owner of Biomet), DePuy, Stryker, Wright Medical and Smith and Nephew that sold the metal-on-metal hip implants.

The defective hip replacement lawsuits share similar allegations that there is premature hip implant failure caused by metal cobalt and chromium release. The artificial hips are made of cobalt chromium alloy and the grinding action of the hip joint in daily activity causing the metal components to rub together, leading to the release of these toxic heavy metal particles.

The release of these metal ions , causing metallosis, damaging tissues in the hip area and causes elevated blood levels of these toxins.

August 3, 2014

Boston Scientific Wins First State Court Mesh Trial

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A Massachusetts state jury found for the defense, in the first of more than 20,000 transvaginal mesh lawsuits filed against Boston Scientific. The plaintiff, Diane Albright, claimed that Boston Scientific Pinnacle transvaginal mesh was defective and caused her to suffer significant and painful pelvic injuries.

The Massachusetts jury found that Albright failed to prove her claim that the Boston Scientific mesh was defective or that inadequate warnings were provided about the risk of complications.

This case was the first Boston Scientific mesh lawsuit to go before a jury, and several Boston Scientific mesh trials are expected later next year. In Massachusetts state court, there are 1,700 cases against Boston Scientific, and the next trial is expected to begin on August 11.

August 1, 2014

Xarelto Bleeding Wrongful Death Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A Vermont man who suffered deadly brain bleed has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The family alleges that the death was caused by side effects of Xarelto, a new generation anticoagulant. Xarelto, has recently come under fire from its irreversible bleeding side effects and is the subject of many similar lawsuits.

Thomas C. Dunkley’s daughter Ruth McGowen, filed a claim against Bayer Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary on July 25, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont.

According to the Xarelto allegations, Dunkley was prescribed the blood thinner anticoagulant in July 2012, for treatment of atrial fibrillation to reduce the risk of a embolic stroke.

June 18, 2014

Illinois Ovarian Cancer Injury Talcum Baby Powder Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

An Illinois woman has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over their talcum powder products. Lynne Cebulske alleges that she developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder for feminine hygiene purposes.

Cebulske filed the complaint in St. Clair County Court in Illinois on May 14. Throughout the United States there are a growing number of talcum baby and body powder lawsuits filed by women who allege that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn about the ovarian cancer risk associated with the talcum products.

Cebulske was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on May 14, 2012, after using Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products since 1992.

June 16, 2014

Texas Androgel Testosterone Gel Heart Attack Injury Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

David Lyon from Texas recently filed a product liability personal injury lawsuit against the makers of Androgel. Lyon alleges that testosterone gel side effects caused a myocardial infarction or heart attack and that the manufacturer mislead consumers that the drug was safe.

Testosterone Androgel Lawsuit

June 14, 2014

Boston Scientific Trans Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits Update

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Boston Scientific is exposed to more than 10,000 federal product liability lawsuits filed by women who experienced injuries from transvaginal mesh products implanted for repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xvv9cd07G8&feature=player_detailpage

U.S. federal Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, is presiding over six federal multidistrict litigation for vaginal mesh claims brought against different manufacturers. According to the court, the first bellwether trial involving eleven Boston Scientific cases will begin on October 14, 2014.

June 12, 2014

Endo AMS Settles Vaginal-Mesh Injuries Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Endo Health Solutions Inc., said it will pay about $830 million to settle most transvaginal lawsuits. Thousands of injured women allege that its vaginal-mesh implants eroded, left them incontinent and made sex painful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xvv9cd07G8&feature=player_detailpage

Endo’s American Medical Systems Inc. unit reported that it’s settling about 20,000 law suit product liability injury claims over the medical devices, which include the Perigee, Apogee and Elevate implants. Endo, a medical device company based in Ireland, is still exposed to at least 5,000 injury claims against AMS, including some that have been consolidated for pretrial proceedings in West Virginia.

June 8, 2014

California Morcellator Uterine Cancer From Hysterectomy

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Wolf Power Morcellator manufacturing company has been sued by a California woman. The woman filed a product liability lawsuit alleging that during a laparoscopic hysterectomy she developed metastatic leiomyosarcoma cancer.

Sarah Salem-Robinson and her husband, filed their claim in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on May 13, against Richard Wolf Medical Instruments Corporation.

Hysterectomy, Fibroids and Morcellators

June 6, 2014

J&J Ethicon Trans Vaginal Mesh MDL Trial Set For August

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Johnson & Johnson and its Ethicon subsidiary are exposed to more than 17,500 Ethicon pelvic mesh lawsuits in the federal court system.

Thousands of injured women have filed Ethicon Gynecare mesh product liability lawsuits for transvaginal repair, pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) damage symptoms after the mesh surgeries.

The Ethicon Gynecare pelvic mesh and bladder sling products have been under fire for causing severe and debilitating injuries when the mesh erodes through the vagina, causing serious infections and the need for revision surgeries.

May 31, 2014

Pradaxa 4,000 Hemorrhage and Death Lawsuits Settles For $650M

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Germany based Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer of the anticoagulant medication Pradaxa has agreed to pay $650 million to settle Pradaxa injury lawsuits. There are 4,000 lawsuits on file by folks who allege that the company failed to warn about the risk of severe and deadly bleeding problems with the anticoagulant drug use.

Pradaxa, has been linked to more than 500 patient deaths. The settlement comes about week after the drugmaker said a new analysis of a company-funded study used to win approval of the Pradaxa found 22 serious bleeding events that weren’t included in the original report.

What is Pradaxa?