Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

July 29, 2016

Taxotere lawsuit filed in California

A lawsuit filed in California alleges that the makers of a popular chemotherapy drug misrepresented the drug’s benefits and hid side effects, including permanent hair loss.

Breast cancer survivor Ami Dodson filed a lawsuit against the makers of Taxotere (docetaxel) claiming the drug caused her to suffer permanent hair loss (alopecia). She also claims the drug maker engaged in marketing schemes to drive up the sales of the drug while hiding medication’s increased toxicity level compared to other similar drugs.

“Defendants [preyed] on one of the most vulnerable group of individuals at the most difficult time in their lives,” Ami Dodson said her lawsuit. “Defendants obtained billions of dollars in increased revenues at the expense of unwary cancer victims simply hoping to survive their condition and return to a normal life.”

July 28, 2016

Lawsuits over Invokana side effects on the rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Johnson & Johnson’s Invokana, the FDA issued a drug safety communication that warned doctors and patients that Invokana may lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). According to recent lawsuits, the makers of Invokana knew or should have known about diabetic ketoacidosis but failed to warn consumers.

Invokana is a new class of Type 2 diabetes drug called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2). This class of Type 2 diabetes drugs work by stopping glucose from being reabsorbed into the blood. The FDA approved Invokana in 2013. In May 2015 the FDA release a statement warning patients and doctors that SGLT2 drugs may lead to DKA. If DKA is left untreated, it can be fatal.

In December 2015, the FDA ordered manufacturers of SGLT2 inhibitors to add warnings regarding the risk of urinary tract infection and ketoacidosis to the drugs’ labels.

July 27, 2016

Zofran Birth Defect Lawsuits on the Rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Several lawsuits filed against the makers of Zofran, GalxoSmithKline, suggest that Zofran may cause birth defects.

The US District Court for Massachusetts has been flooded with nearly 200 lawsuit against the makers of Zofran. The lawsuits, arising from across the United States, were consolidated to the Massachusetts’ court where they will proceed as a multi-district litigation.

In 1991 the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Zofran to treat extreme nausea arising from radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and for some post operative procedures. However, FDA never approved Zofran as a safe drug for pregnant women to use.

July 26, 2016

Over 6,000 lawsuits pending against Xarelto

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Xarelto is a new type of blood thinner approved in 2011 by the Food and Drug Administration and marketed in the U.S. by Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

When a person is taking blood thinners they must have routine blood tests and make adjustments to their dosage. They also must watch the foods they eat. This is part of Xarelto’s main selling point: it is a one-size-fits-all medication. Unfortunately, this characteristic is what also makes Xarelto dangerous.

Xarelto consumers have filed lawsuits alleging that the drug manufacturer failed to properly warn about some of the risks, including uncontrollable bleeding.

July 25, 2016

Does Abilify cause gambling?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Abilify is one of the top selling drugs in the world, with 2015 sales estimated at more than $6 billion worldwide. It was approved by the FDA in 2002 for the treatment of a number of psychological problems, including autism, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in adults and children.

But recent research suggests side effects of Abilify may impact an individuals impulse control, potentially leading to gambling addictions or other unusual behavior that can have a devastating impact on an individuals family, employment, financial position, and overall quality of life.

As a result of the drug maker’s failure to adequately warn about the potential impulse control risks, people who have suffered damages as a result of compulsive gambling have began filing lawsuits against the makers of Abilify.

July 22, 2016

Risperdal lawsuits highlight gynecomastia side effects

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Medical studies and recent lawsuits against the makers of Risperdal have helped highlight the links between the drug and gynecomastia, a condition that causes males to grow breasts.

A 2006 study conducted by Duke University showed that Risperdal was associated with gynecomastia and that it may cause lactation in girls, boys, and women not pregnant or nursing.

Despite this knowledge, the FDA approved Risperdal for the treatment of schizophrenia in children and bipolar disorder in both children and adults in 2007. The year after the FDA approval, the Wall Street Journal reported that Risperdal had been shown to increase prolactin levels (leading to breast development and lactation) and experts stated that up to 70 percent of gynecomastia childhood events were found to be caused by Risperdal use.

July 21, 2016

Power Morcellators linked to cancer trigger lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

nurse Links between laparoscopic power morcellators and cancer have trigger lawsuits throughout the United States just as the FDA issues a recall on three Johnson and Johnson devices.

The FDA and medical professionals express growing concern about the safety of surgical procedures that use power morcellators. These devices have been proven to be effective in some minimally invasive surgeries. But when they are used to break up uterine fibroid tumors or in some kidney and spleen surgeries, they tend to spread cells that lead to malignant tumors in men and women.

Metastic leiomyosarcoma, a type of uterine cancer, is a cancers that can develop in women as a result of the power morcellators.

July 20, 2016

Talcum Powder and ovarian cancer

by Dr. Shezad Malik

While some in the medical community continue to debate whether or not Talcum Powder, also known as Baby Powder, may cause ovarian cancer, two recent lawsuits suggest it does cause ovarian cancer.

The link between ovarian cancer and talcum powder was first discovered in 1971 in a study that revealed talc particles, the main ingredient used in Baby Powder, were found in the ovarian tissue of cancer patients.

This was the first instance in which medical professionals realized women were at risk when using the powder on their genitals, sanitary pads, diaphragms, and in condoms. Talc particles easily made their way into the vagina and were able to travel deeper into the reproductive organs. One sample study demonstrated the ability of carbon particles to travel through the vagina and into the fallopian tubes in as little as 30 minutes, leading researchers to believe the same was possible with talc particles.

July 19, 2016

IVC filter lawsuits on the rise July 19, 2016

by Dr. Shezad Malik

IVC Filter lawsuits Recent medical studies have linked inferior vena cava filters (IVC filters) to serious risks when the filter remains implanted in a person’s body for longer periods that what is recommended. Complications from prolong use of IVC filters have led to several lawsuits recently across the United States.

Surgeons implant retrievable inferior IVC filters in the veins of patients who are unable to take anticoagulants (blood thinners) in order to prevent blood clots from moving to the lungs. IVCs catch the clots in the blood stream and, over time, the clots dissipate. But the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received hundreds of adverse reports about the retrievable filters. Reported complications included punctured organs, blood vessels and filter migration to different parts of the body.

In 2010, the FDA warned the retrievable filters posed risks of filter fracture, device migration and organ perforation and should be removed as soon as the patient’s risk for blood clots subsided. The FDA updated safety communication in 2014, stating most devices should be removed between the 29th and 54th day after implantation. But the warning signs came too late for some. Plaintiffs began filing lawsuits across the country claiming the filters caused harm and death.

July 18, 2016

Testosterone drug side effects trigger lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Men who suffer stroke, cardiac arrest and other heart-related issues or other adverse side effects after using AndroGel and other testosterone drugs have filed lawsuits across the country alleging that they were not properly warned of the risks.

At the center of these lawsuits is a popular testosterone drug named AndroGel.

AndroGel is synthetic testosterone mixed into a gel with alcohol that is applied to the skin once daily. The testosterone is absorbed into the skin for continuous 24-hour delivery into the body. It is prescribe to men with low testosterone levels to increase their testosterone levels to a normal range.