Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

January 15, 2012

Topamax Birth Defects

Topamax can result in serious birth defects such as cleft palate or cleft lip. These occur when parts of the soft and hard palate fail to completely fuse together. The defect can result in a notched lip, or in severe cases, an open groove that extends from the nose to the roof of the mouth. Cleft lip and cleft palate birth defects can also cause problems eating and communicating, and can increase the risk of ear infections.

What is Topamax?

Topamax is an anti-convulsant drug used to treat epileptic seizures. In addition, Topamax is also prescribed to help prevent migraine headaches. The chemical name for Topamax is Topiramate, and its generic name is Topiragen.

January 14, 2012

Pradaxa Hemorrhage and Bleeding Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to experts, the new blood thinner Pradaxa has been linked to an increased risk of serious life-threatening bleeding. Now many experts are questioning its safety.

PRADAXA LAWSUIT STATUS

Users of Pradaxa who suffered severe internal bleeding, hemorrhages or other problems may be eligible to pursue a Pradaxa lawsuit. Our lawyers are reviewing potential claims for individuals throughout the United States.

January 13, 2012

Birth Defects Problems With SSRIs

by Dr. Shezad Malik

SSRIs are a widely prescribed class of drugs most often used as antidepressants to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Since September 2005, scientific information has been emerging that certain SSRIs, such as Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline), and SNRI antidepressants, such as Effexor (venlafaxine) may cause birth defects.

SSRI Birth Defects

Cardiac (heart)

January 12, 2012

FDA Drospirenone YAZ Advisors Had Bayer Links

by Dr. Shezad Malik

This is an interesting issue of conflict of interest, impartiality and doing the right thing, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Talk about the fox guarding the chicken house! In December, an advisory panel for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) voted to recommend by 15-11 margin that the benefits of Yaz, Yasmin and similar pills made with the synthetic progestin, drospirenone, outweighed their risk of dangerous blood clots.

Now it has come to light that three of the FDA advisors who voted with the majority had ties to Bayer AG, the maker of the drugs, that were not disclosed by the agency.

January 11, 2012

Dallas Grocery Slip and Falls

by Dr. Shezad Malik

I am providing this timely slip and fall update. Unfortunately many folks get injured by slipping and falling in a Dallas store or businesses every day. Many serious injuries can be avoided if Texas’ business owners would simply take the time and invest the money to make their stores safer.

As a Texas supermarket trip and fall attorney, I have represented customers who have been injured in grocery stores, convenience stores, shopping malls and big-box retailers for many years. Consistently, I have found that most of our clients have fallen because the business owner has not dedicated enough resources to customer safety. Some companies spend millions advertising each year but skimp when it comes to keeping customers safe.

Customer safety begins by creating the safest environment reasonably possible. Stores should have adequate lighting, clean and clear places to walk and non-slip surfaces. Many people in the Dallas Fort Worth area walk around in sandals and open-toed shoes. Knowing this, extra precautions should be used by store owners to make sure that anti-slip surfaces and anti-slip wax are used.

January 10, 2012

Is Your Car Safe Enough to Save Your Life?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

I am providing this important update regarding car safety and car accidents. Since our Fort Worth car accident lawyers have represented injury victims for many years we understand that while some accidents are unavoidable the extent of the injuries often depends on the safety of the cars involved.

Very often, the difference between a safe car and one that fails to meet national standards can mean the difference between simply walking away from an accident or being seriously injured or killed.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a not-for-profit group financed entirely by the insurance industry. As a Tarrant traffic accident lawyer, we study closely the recently released IIHS 2012 list of Top Safety Picks, with a record breaking 115 passenger vehicles receiving the distinction of being a Top Safety Pick. Utilizing the IIHS study will help drivers make better-informed selections about the cars they drive.

January 9, 2012

Statins Increases Diabetes Risk in Older Women

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative, postmenopausal women who were on a statin at study entry had almost a 50% greater risk of diabetes than those who weren’t on the cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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January 9, 2012

YAZ Philly Mass Tort Settlement Ordered

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Following the lead of the Federal Court ordered mediation in the Yaz/Yasmin litigation, the Pennsylvania state court judge has entered a similar order.

Judge Moss, who is managing thousands of cases in Philadelphia state court, required mediation in an order published on January 6, 2012. Judge Moss’s order comes just one week after a federal judge entered a similar order.

Both judges appointed Professor Stephen Saltzburg of George Washington School of Law, Washington D.C., to assist in the mediation.

January 7, 2012

Novartis Tekturna Ticking Time Bomb?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Novartis is under the gun over the deadly side effects caused by Tekturna (Aliskiren), its blood pressure pill, the so called “wonder drug.”

Recently Tekturna’s clinical trials were canceled by Novartis due to a high number of strokes and kidney problems among diabetic test subjects. Tekturna HCT, Valturna, TekAmlo and Amturnide are all variations of Teckturna (Aliskiren).

ALTITUDE Study

January 6, 2012

Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft: Bad to the Bone?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The off label use of Medtronic Infuse(R) bone graft has been associated with severe side effects including in some cases, death.

Medtronic Infuse(R) Bone Graft What is It?

Medtronic, Inc. and Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc. designed and marketed the Infuse(R) Bone Graft device (“Infuse(R)”) for lumbar spine surgery. Infuse(R) is a bio-engineered bone filling material containing a bone morphogenetic protein (“BMP”), and is used as an alternative to grafting a patient’s own bone.