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News Articles December 28, 2011: The most widespread medical implant failure in decades — involving thousands of all-metal artificial hips that need to be replaced prematurely — has entered the money phase. Medical and legal experts estimate the hip failures may cost taxpayers, insurers, employers and others billions of dollars in coming years, contributing to the soaring cost of health care. The financial fallout is expected to be unusually large and complex because the episode involves a class of products, not a single device or just one company. (more) December 14, 2011: Amid growing problems with artificial hips and other medical implants, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday that would force manufacturers to track the performance of such products after they were approved for sale. The bill would allow the Food and Drug Administration to compel companies to track implants, such as replacement hips, that belong to a category of products that do not require human testing for approval. (more) July 20, 2011: More than 450,000 borrowers who were charged excessive fees by Countrywide Home Loans when they fell behind on their mortgages will finally begin receiving the $108 million the company agreed to pay in a settlement struck with the Federal Trade Commission in June 2010, the agency said Wednesday. The number of consumers recovering money in the settlement is the biggest in the F.T.C.’s history and wound up being double what the commission had estimated. (more) July 5, 2011: (CNN) -- A study published Monday in a Canadian journal concluded that smokers who take Chantix, one of the most popular smoking cessation drugs, could increase their risk of heart problems. (more) June 29, 2011: FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. — Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday announced another Tylenol recall due to a musty moldy odor linked to a trace chemical. (more) June 22, 2011: A U.S. Senate committee has launched an investigation into reports that doctors with financial ties to the medical device company Medtronic were aware of potentially serious complications with a spine surgery product made by the company yet failed to reveal those problems in published journal articles. (more) June 6, 2011: The debate about cellphone safety was reignited yet again last week when a panel of the World Heath Organization declared that it was “possible” the phones could cause cancer. This is the first time a major health organization has suggested such a link, and it was promptly disputed by many scientists, who have been saying for years that there is scant evidence cellphones cause cancer and that it is biologically implausible to think they could. So what do we really know about cellphones and health? Here are some answers to common questions about the issue. (more) June 3, 2011: The expert panel that evaluates cancer risks today said that cell phones might possibly cause brain cancer. The announcement comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Like the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society relies on IARC for evaluation of cancer risks. (more) June 3, 2011: As more people have grown adept at text-based messaging, and more own smartphones that can send messages via text, e-mail, Facebook or Twitter, voice chatting is becoming something of an afterthought. (more) June 3, 2011: This searchable table contains all the cell phone models available from the major U.S. carriers as of December 2010 (newer models may not be listed). The numbers refer to the rate of radiofrequency energy your body absorbs from the phone. (more) June 1, 2011: (CNN) -- Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. (more) June 1, 2011: On Tuesday, scientists at the World Health Organization announced that the agency will now list mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. There haven't been enough long-term studies to make a clear conclusion if radiation from cell phones is safe, but there was enough data to persuade the WHO of a possible connection. (more) May 11, 2011: In an unusual move, the Food and Drug Administration has ordered all producers of a popular category of artificial hip to undertake studies of the implants, which have been linked to high early failure rates and severe health effects in some patients. (more) March 31, 2011: In a culture where people cradle their cellphones next to their heads with the same constancy and affection that toddlers hold their security blankets, it was unsettling last month when a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that doing so could alter brain activity. (more) March 30, 2011: NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Johnson & Johnson is recalling yet another batch of Tylenol medicines due to consumer complaints about a musty, moldy smell. (more) March 24, 2011: Israeli company Tawkon sells mobile applications that “monitor” your exposure to mobile phone radiation. The idea is that if you experience a sudden spike of radiation while you’re talking, it’ll warn you so you can quickly hurl the phone as hard as you can across the room, douse yourself with lead paint, duck, cover, then resume the conversation. (more) March 11, 2011: New Orleans, LA: A woman from Texas has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Motrin after her daughter allegedly developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome after taking the drug and needed to be hospitalized for more than a month, the Louisiana Record reports. (more) March 11, 2011: NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The government is taking over three Tylenol plants following a blizzard of drug recalls and a Food and Drug Administration criminal investigation into safety issues at the factories. (more) February 23, 2011: Madison, WI: Another lawsuit has been filed against the maker of Depakote, alleging Depakote birth defects in babies who were exposed to the anticonvulsant prior to birth. The number of Depakote lawsuits continues to grow, alleging serious Depakote side effects to newborn babies. (more) February 23, 2011: Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have found that less than an hour of cellphone use can speed up brain activity in the area closest to the phone antenna, raising new questions about the health effects of low levels of radiation emitted from cellphones. (more) February 22, 2011: Washington, DC: The FDA has notified healthcare professionals that the pregnancy section of drug labels for the entire class of antipsychotic drugs has been updated. The new drug labels now contain more and consistent information about the potential risk for abnormal muscle movements (extrapyramidal signs or EPS) and withdrawal symptoms in newborns whose mothers were treated with these drugs during the third trimester of pregnancy. (more) February 14, 2011: Scottsdale, AZ: According to the Mayo Clinic, Reglan side effects can occasionally include high fever or difficulty breathing, and patients are encouraged to contact their doctors if they experience any such symptoms. (more) February 7, 2011: Birmingham, AL: An Alabama federal court will bring together a number of Chantix suicide lawsuits against Pfizer Inc., Reuters reports. (more) February 3, 2011: Washington, DC: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its warnings concerning Fosamax side effects. Specifically, the FDA is concerned about the link between the use of Fosamax (known generically as alendronate sodium) and femur fracture. (more) February 3, 2011: Washington, DC: On the heels of a ruling by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December, noting that Avastin should not be used by breast cancer patients, comes an analysis that suggests the anti-cancer drug is linked to fatal side effects in about one percent of the patients who take it. (more) January 31, 2011: (CBS) A French man is suing global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, claiming that Requip (ropinirole), a drug he was taking to treat Parkinson's disease, turned him into a gambling and gay sex addict, according to a report. (more) January 26, 2011: The Food and Drug Administration says it has found a possible link between breast implants and a very rare type of cancer. After reviewing data published between 1997 and 2010, the agency determined people with both saline and silicone gel-filled implants have a small but significant risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (more) December 29, 2010: Washington, DC: The Supreme Court said recently that it will decide whether drug companies could be sued over allegations that they did not provide proper warnings for Reglan side effects and risks of other drugs, ABC News reports. (more) December 29, 2010: Ottawa, Ontario: It was quietly floated back in March. However, the Canadian health authority earlier this year warned of a potential adverse reaction stemming from Avelox that could pose a threat to an individual's liver. Avelox antibiotic, or moxifloxacin, is commonly used to treat a broad spectrum of bacterial infections. (more) December 27, 2010: New Orleans, LA: The end of 2010 does not mean the end of lawsuits concerning the DePuy hip replacement being filed. Another DePuy hip lawsuit has been filed and more are likely as some patients experience failure of their DePuy hip implant device. (more) December 2, 2010: NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Johnson & Johnson is adding 12 million bottles of Mylanta -- the stomach discomfort treatment -- to its ongoing list of recalled products, due to the presence of alcohol that's not listed on the label. (more) December 1, 2010: NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Nearly a year after the Food and Drug Administration ordered Johnson & Johnson's drug-making arm to get its act together, FDA inspectors continue to find problems. (more) December 1, 2010: Dosing directions for children's over-the-counter medication are misleading and hard for parents to understand, according to a study from the New York University School of Medicine. (more) November 4, 2010: Honolulu, HI: A woman who received a DePuy hip replacement in August 2009 has filed suit against the company who made the device, reports KGMB and KHNL. (more) November 1, 2010: Washington, D.C.: GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay $750 million and will plead guilty to a criminal charge, putting an end to an investigation into the company's Paxil manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico. Although Paxil side effects including Paxil birth defects have been in the news, the charges in this lawsuit involved claims that Paxil tablets manufactured at the plant were improperly made. (more) October 25, 2010: Washington, DC: Coming shortly after the British Medical Journal said that an increased risk of Avandia heart attacks should force the diabetes medication to be pulled from the market, the US Food and Drug Administration announced that it would severely restrict its use. (more)
October 19, 2010: A new study suggests an increased risk of blood clots can be added to the list of potential Seroquel side effects. The list of reported Seroquel side effects already includes a risk of Seroquel birth defects and Seroquel tardive dyskinesia. (more) Articles from The American Trial Lawyer Magazine:
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