Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

October 1, 2011

DePuy Metal on Metal Hip and Metallosis

As a DePuy ASR and Pinnacle Replacement and Recall attorney I am providing this blog update.

As readers to my blog will note, I am a licensed Texas medical doctor as well as a product liability attorney. We are currently fielding many phone calls from concerned hip replacement patients and the biggest concern for them is residual hip pain post procedure.”Is that normal?” they ask. “How do we know if we are suffering from metallosis?” “My doctor is not concerned but I still feel that something is wrong?”

The answers to these questions remain elusive for several reasons. Firstly and foremost is the lack of research, disclosure and transparency from the hip manufacturers who knew or should have known about these problems and concerns.

September 28, 2011

Bone Fracture Side Effects of Nexium, Prilosec and Protonix Heartburn Drugs

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A lawsuit has been filed against AstraZeneca by two Texans who allege that Nexium caused them to suffer bone fracture side effects. The complaint was filed by Mary Mai Nguyen and Tuoc Duong on September 15 in Harris County, Texas against AstraZeneca.

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According to the Nexium lawsuit, the defendants failed to adequately research the heart burn medication or warn about the potential risk of Nexium bone problems. Nexium (esomeprazole) is a member of a class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

A number of similar bone fracture lawsuits involving Nexium and other proton pump inhibitors have been filed in recent months. Other drugs in the class include Prilosec, Aciphex, Prevacid, Protonix, Vimovo and Zegerid.

September 27, 2011

FDA Advisory Panel for YAZ, Yasmin and Ocella

by Dr. Shezad Malik

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning Monday about an increased risk of blood clots in women taking newer forms of birth control pills, such as Yaz or Yasmin.

The FDA did say it “remains concerned” about a potentially higher risk of blood clots in women taking the “fourth generation” pills containing drospirenone, a new type of synthetic progestin. These new pills, marketed as Yaz, Ocella or Yasmin, among other brand names, are very popular.

Venous thrombosis embolism (VTE) are clots that originate in the legs and can travel to the lungs, causing a medical condition known as pulmonary embolism. Symptoms include leg pain, chest pain or sudden shortness of breath.

September 22, 2011

DePuy Metal on Metal Hip Failure Rate

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas Medical Doctor and DePuy ASR Failure Attorney, I am providing this update and commentary on a recent British database study.

According to a British database, the National Joint Registry for England and Wales, which tracks hip replacement problems, a number of recalled DePuy ASR metal hip implants are failing within six years. Data from the National Joint Registry for England and Wales indicates that 29% of patients who received the DePuy metal-on-metal hip replacement have reported that they failed after only six years of use.

DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, issued a DePuy ASR hip recall last year, indicating that about 12% to 13% of these hips mail fail within five years. More than 90,000 DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Systems and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Systems were sold worldwide before the metal-on-metal hip implants were recalled in August 2010. About 40,000 of those were sold in the United States.

September 21, 2011

Bard Avaulta Mesh and Bard Avaulta Sling Transvaginal Mesh Update

by Dr. Shezad Malik

30 plaintiffs who have filed a vaginal mesh lawsuit against C.R. Bard, are asking the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), to include these cases as part of the consolidated federal Bard Avaulta litigation.

In October 2010, the JPML ordered that all federal Bard Avaulta pelvic mesh lawsuits be consolidated before U.S. District Judge Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation for coordinated pretrial proceedings.

This MDL included cases filed by women who received three different types of Bard surgical mesh used for repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or female stress urinary incontinence (SUI): the Bard Avaulta Biosynthetic, Bard Avaulta Plus and Bard Avaulta Solo mesh. These products were sold by C.R. Bard and manufactured by either Bard or subsidiaries of Covidien plc.

September 15, 2011

Trans Vaginal Mesh TVM Lawsuits: The Next Big One?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

According to the concerned women who are calling our offices; they believe that the FDA and other U.S. regulators have failed them by not requiring extensive testing before allowing Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and other manufacturers to sell the type of surgical mesh implanted in them, to hold their pelvic organs in place. Now many these callers say that they cannot work, sleep through the night, or have sex with their partners due to endless pain.

There are about 270 lawsuits pending against J&J. In all, about 600 suits have been filed against it and other mesh makers, including C.R. Bard, Boston Scientific, and American Medical Systems, acquired in June by Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on July 13 of a fivefold increase in women suffering pain and injuries after surgeons inserted mesh through vaginal incisions. Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) occurs when the internal structures that support the pelvic organs such as the bladder, uterus and bowel, become so weak or stretched that the organs drop from their normal position and bulge or prolapse into the vagina. While not a life-threatening condition, women with POP often experience pelvic discomfort, disruption of their sexual, urinary, and defecatory functions, and an overall reduction in their quality of life.

September 13, 2011

Actos MDL Consolidation Over Bladder Cancer

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas medical doctor and Actos Bladder Cancer Attorney I am providing this information and commentary. The maker of the world’s best-selling diabetes drug is facing many lawsuits as adverse medical research shows that taking the pill for more than a year raises the risk of bladder cancer.

A motion was filed asking for all federal Actos bladder cancer lawsuits to be centralized before one judge for coordinated handling during pretrial proceedings as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation.

There are about 12 lawsuits over Actos that have been filed in federal district courts. Experts believe that hundreds of complaints that will likely be filed on behalf of individuals who claim they developed bladder cancer from side effects of Actos.

September 10, 2011

Fosamax Injuries and the FDA Part 2

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas medical doctor and Fosamax femur fracture injury Attorney, I am fielding many calls from concerned plaintiffs regarding their side effects from using Fosamax and similar drugs. We are providing the following update and commentary.

A FDA advisory committee wants the agency to limit the duration of bisphosphonate therapy for treatment of osteoporosis. This year, the FDA required that all bisphosphonates used to prevent or treat osteoporosis warn on their labels that optimal duration of use hasn’t been determined. The issue has become concerning to the FDA as reports have emerged linking long-time bisphosphonate therapy with increased risk of atypical fractures.

The Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee met to discuss whether emerging reports of adverse events should cause the FDA to change the label to indicate that the drug not be used long term. The medical advisers did not press the issue as strongly as the F.D.A. staff itself did in a 45-page report issued on Wednesday. The staff report said studies “suggest no significant advantage of continuing drug therapy beyond five years.”

September 8, 2011

FDA To Rule On Transvaginal Mesh Injuries

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas Transvaginal Mesh Injury Lawyer and medical doctor, I am providing this update and commentary involving TV Mesh failures.

An FDA advisory panel is currently examining recent complications and failure reports associated with transvaginal mesh systems that are used to repair pelvic organ prolapse, POP.

The FDA’s Obstetrics and Gynecological Devices panel will offer recommendations to protect women from the serious debilitating problems associated with transvaginal use of surgical mesh, which medical evidence suggests may provide no actual benefit over more traditional means of treating pelvic organ prolapse.

September 8, 2011

Texas Medical Expert Report Ruled Constitutional

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Texas medical doctor and Medical Malpractice attorney, I am providing this case law update and commentary.

As part of Texas’s tort reform laws, enacted by the Texas legislature in 2003, one of the requirements in order to file a medical malpractice claim, was the furnishing of a medical expert’s report within 120 days of filing the lawsuit.The 5th District Court of Appeals says that the legislation serves the state’s interest in preventing frivolous medical liability lawsuits and related health care system costs. This medical expert report requirement is also known as the Texas’ certificate-of-merit law, and is similar to many other states’ medical malpractice reform.

Recently Texas’ certificate-of-merit law passed another constitutional challenge after the 5th District Court of Appeals validated the requirement for plaintiffs to file an expert report demonstrating the merits of a medical liability case.