Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

July 15, 2016

Xarelto lawsuits on the rise across the country

Uncontrolled bleeding caused by Xarelto has resulted in hundreds of people filing lawsuits against the company for failing to warn about the dangers associated with Xarelto.

According to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL), as of June 15, 2016, there were 5,853 lawsuits consolidated for pretrial proceedings in MDL 2592. Those lawsuits allege patients suffered uncontrolled bleeding events leading to serious injury as a result of using Xarelto. Inclusion in the MDL is not a comment on the lawsuits’ merits; rather it is an acknowledgment that the suits share similar issues.

Those issues involve uncontrolled bleeding linked to use of Xarelto. Because Xarelto is a blood thinner, uncontrolled bleeding is a risk for patients. However, patients allege they were not adequately warned about that risk, nor were they told that there was no antidote for Xarelto. Patients taking warfarin, also a blood thinner, have an antidote to counter act its effects. Warfarin can be counteracted by taking vitamin K. Xarelto on the other hand has no antidote and patients suffering from uncontrolled bleeding must wait for the drug to leave their system.

July 14, 2016

Hip and Knee infection after surgery trigger lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Hip and knee infection on the rise. Some patients who develop an infection after undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery have filed lawsuits against the makers of a device named Bair Hugger. The device is used in a number of hip and knee replacement surgery and may be linked to some serious side effects.

The Bair Hugger device is usually used without the patients knowledge. The device is a warming blanket used to help maintain a patient’s body temperature during surgery. Doctors utilize this device to maintain a patient’s body temperature because studies have shown that maintaining proper body temperature can reduce bleeding, speed up recovery time, and provide other benefits.

Surgical warming blankets, such as Bair Hugger, work like a forced-air heater, pushing warm air through a hose into a blanket covering a patient. The device releases warm air over a patient’s body, but also releases air under the surgical table. The air released under the table has the potential to cause bacteria and germs to spread throughout the room, landing on a patient’s surgical site. This may cause an infection in the patient’s knee or hip, such as sepsis and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Unfortunately, these infections are very difficult to treat when they occur deep in a patient’s joint.

July 13, 2016

Metal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Metal-on-metal hip implants have led to some patients developing metallosis, a condition in which build-up of metal debris in the soft tissues of the body occur.

Hip replacement surgery (hip arthroplasty) has been described by many experts as one of the most significant medical device innovations of the last 40 years. It has helped millions of people overcome painful arthritis, recover from hip fractures and improve their quality of life. However, hip implants do not come without risk or complications. A growing number of implant recipients have experienced implant failure and other severe hip replacement complications.

There are three types of hip replacement surgery. With total hip replacement, the entire hip joint — ball and socket, as well as femoral stem — is replaced. Partial hip replacement requires only the ball (femoral head) to be replaced. In a hip resurfacing procedure, the cup is replaced, but the ball is not. Instead, the ball is reshaped and covered with a metal cap.

July 12, 2016

Women file transvaginal mesh lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Problems with transvaginal mesh systems marketed by a number of different medical device manufacturers have caused women throughout the United States to suffer severe injuries.

Not only do these products pose a risk of serious complications, there is no evidence that transvaginal insertion of a bladder sling has any benefit for women when its primary use is treating pelvic organ prolapse.

Lawsuits are currently being investigated for women who have received any type of surgical mesh or bladder sling to repair pelvic organ prolapse, including:

July 11, 2016

Study links Xarelto’s side effects to serious injuries

by Dr. Shezad Malik

An independent study conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) showed that side effects of Xarelto were linked to more serious injuries than any other drug studied by the institute. The study, which was submitted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year, links more than 1,100 patient deaths to Xarelto.

In the group’s quarterly report issued last week, ISMP summarized adverse event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year, which are widely considered to be an important safety signal for prescription medications on the market.

The study found that “severe complications with Xarelto exceed those linked to all other drugs, mainly involving injuries associated with uncontrolled bleeding and failure to prevent a stroke or pulmonary embolism, which is what the drug is designed to do.”

July 8, 2016

Nexium kidney side effects trigger lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Ethicon Gynecare Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits A Tennessee man filed a lawsuit against the makers of Nexium alleging that the drug caused acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), which ultimately led to the man needing dialysis treatment and a kidney transplant.

The lawsuit was filed against the makers of Nexium by Charles Bowers on July 5, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

Bowers alleges that the makers of Nexium failed to adequately warn about the link between the drug and acute interstitial nephritis, which involves inflammation of the kidneys that can lead to end-stage renal failure, chronic kidney disease, and acute kidney injury.

July 7, 2016

Permanent Hair Loss Lawsuit Filed Against Makers of Taxotere

by Dr. Shezad Malik

An Illinois woman filed a lawsuit against the makers Taxotere. She claims the controversial breast cancer drug caused her to develop permanent hair loss, a condition often referred to as permanent alopecia.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 28 by Renita Johnson. Johnson alleges that the drug maker knew or should have known that women may be left with permanent alopecia after using Taxotere, but provided misleading and false information that suggested hair typically regrows.

Johnson points to a 2005 study which found that one out of every 10 patients treated with Taxotere suffered hair loss that lasted up to 10 years and five months, and in some cases longer.

July 6, 2016

Jury awards $70 million to Risperdal victim

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A jury in Philadelphia found Friday that the antipsychotic drug Risperdal caused a Tennessee boy to develop gynecomastia, a condition that causes males to grow female breasts, and imposed a $70 million verdict on its manufacturer.

This was by far the largest Risperdal verdict in a string of cases against the drug manufacturer. Earlier verdicts ranged from $500,000 to $2.2 million.

“The jury got angry at these people; they don’t take responsibility,” an attorney familiar with the case said.

July 5, 2016

Invokana lawsuits on the rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

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 and has grown to over 2.7 million prescriptions per year.

In May 2015 the FDA release a statement warning doctors and patients 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.

June 30, 2016

Abilify lawsuits on the rise

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Abilify (aripiprazole) is one of the best 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 schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and autism in adults and children.

Research has suggested that 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, financial compensation may be available through an Abilify lawsuit for individuals who have suffered damages as a result of compulsive gambling.