Articles Posted in Product Liability

Two years ago the FDA announced that there was no evidence that transvaginal mesh provides any benefits when compared to traditional surgery. Unfortunately according to medical studies, transvaginal mesh procedure and device implantation has a risk of serious complications.

The FDA issued warnings about the safety of surgical mesh for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and female stress urinary incontinence in July 2011. The FDA received 3,000 reports of vaginal mesh complaints between January 2008 and December 2010, involving injuries where the mesh eroded through the vagina, damaged the bowel, bladder and other critical injuries.

FDA Orders More Studies

According to a recent medical study, the side effects of Lipitor and other statin drugs may increase the risk of diabetes. The Canadian study published in the British Medical Journal, demonstrated that Lipitor users are 22% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.

The study found that Lipitor was associated with the greatest risk of diabetes. Other cholesterol lowering drugs including Crestor, was associated with an 18% increased risk and Zocor, was associated with a 10% increased risk of diabetes.

Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuits

As a Byetta/Januvia/Victoza Thyroid and Pancreatic Cancer attorney and a Texas medical doctor, I am providing this litigation update regarding Incretic Mimetics lawsuits. A 23 year old woman has filed a product liability lawsuit against Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co., claiming that she developed thyroid cancer from side effects of Byetta. Byetta is a newer type of diabetes drug that plaintiffs claim causes pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer.

The complaint was filed by Elizabeth Childress on May 9, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Childress, alleges that she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011, after using Byetta for several years.

According to Childress, Amylin and Eli Lilly have known about the link between Byetta and thyroid cancer, yet failed to provide adequate warnings or issue a Byetta recall to withdraw the diabetes drug from the market.

In May, an Illinois man filed a $100 million defective medical product liability Stryker hip lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. According to the plaintiff, he received an ABG II implant during hip replacement surgery. The plaintiff alleges the ABG II system was defective and it caused him to sustain permanent injuries. Plaintiff claims that Howmedica Osteonics, and Stryker Orthopaedics was negligent and failed to warn patients about the risks associated with the hip replacement system.

What is ABG II Hip Replacement System?

The Stryker ABG II system is a metal and metal hip implant composed of interchangeable chrome cobalt neck and titanium stem components. The FDA allowed Stryker Orthopaedics to market and distribute the hip replacement system in 2009.

According to a recent medical study, the side effects of Lipitor and other statin drugs may increase the risk of diabetes. The Canadian study published in the British Medical Journal, demonstrated that Lipitor users are 22% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.

The study found that Lipitor was associated with the greatest risk of diabetes. Other cholesterol lowering drugs including Crestor, was associated with an 18% increased risk and Zocor, was associated with a 10% increased risk of diabetes.

Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuits

According to the jury in a recent Washingston state trial, Intuitive Surgical Inc., the manufacturer of the da Vinci Robotic surgical device systems wasn’t negligent in a wrongful death claim. The family of the plaintiff filed a lawsuit alleging that the company was negligent in its training of a doctor who performed the robot-assisted surgery on a patient who died.

Jurors in Port Orchard, Washington, reached their verdict after a five-week trial. The case was the first to go to trial of at least 26 lawsuits against Intuitive alleging injuries from its da Vinci robotic system, which was used in more than 300,000 U.S. operations last year.

Da Vinci Robot Cash Cow

As a Texas IUD Attorney and Medical Doctor, I am providing this update regarding the risk of perforation and injuries associated with the Mirena IUD. The FDA has received more than 47,000 reports of injuries and complications associated with the Mirena intrauterine device (IUD).

Most of the Mirena IUD problems reported to the FDA involved the birth control device being discharged from women, migrating to different locations or causing vaginal bleeding according to the analysis.

Thousands of Mirena Adverse Side Effects

Recently a South Carolina woman filed a product liability lawsuit against Pfizer, claiming that the cholesterol drug Lipitor side effect caused her to develop diabetes. The federal lawsuit was filed by Margaret Clark in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Clark alleges that Pfizer has failed to adequately warn about the diabetes risk from Lipitor. Pfizer updated the label in 2012 at the request of the FDA.

Clark was prescribed the cholesterol drug in 2002 to help reduce her risk of heart disease. Clark indicates that she had a body mass index of 22.7, which is considered a normal weight. Clark alleges that she took Lipitor to help maintain her healthy and active lifestyle, but instead the drug allegedly caused her type 2 diabetes in February 2012.

Many women are filing Lipitor lawsuits after developing diabetes. The plaintiff complaints allege that Pfizer failed to adequately warn consumers or doctors about the risks and side effects with Lipitor and the importance of closely monitoring blood glucose levels.

According to experts, Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of DePuy Orthopaedics, is facing more than 4,000 lawsuits over the DePuy Pinnacle hip device. The 4,000 plus plaintiffs, allege that the DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal design is defective and prone to premature failure and metallosis caused by the release of metal trash as the metal components grind against each other.

DePuy ASR and Pinnacle Federal MDL

The DePuy Orthopaedics subsidiary is exposed to two separate gigantic multidistrict litigations, known as MDLs. The Depuy ASR lawsuits are centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits are centralized in the U.S. District for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas division.

The first of four separate federal trials involving problems with Bard Avaulta mesh will begin in June 2013. U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin ordered that the first four Bard Avaulta lawsuits in the federal MDL will be tried individually.

Judge Goodwin is overseeing the vaginal mesh injury cases in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. Here all federal lawsuits over Bard Avaulta mesh have been centralized as part of an MDL, or multi-district litigation.

The first Bard Avaulta trial in the federal court system will involve a lawsuit filed by Donna and Dan Cisson. The first trial date is scheduled to begin on June 11, 2013.