On the heels of federal drug regulators slapping a new warning label on the controversial birth control pill Yaz, the drug’s manufacturer agreed to settle 500 product-liability lawsuits to the tune of $110 million.
Bayer Healthcare agreed to pay an average of about $220,000 per case to resolve claims that Yaz, and its sister drug Yasmin, caused deadly blood clots that lead to pulmonary embolisms, strokes and heart attacks, Bloomberg news reported.
In January, the Illinois federal judge overseeing the Yaz multidistrict litigation (MDL) ordered mediation in the thousands of cases. In the mass tort cases filed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, local judges followed suit, waiting to see if there would be a settlement. There are an estimated 11,300 cases have been filedagainst Bayer nationwide.
Read more: http://www.drugwatch.com/bayer-to-pay-110-million-in-yaz-birth-control-claims.php
To learn about the cases and injuries, click here: http://www.audetlaw.com/blog/yaz-yasmin-beyaz-and-ocella-birth-control-pills/, or here: http://www.audetlaw.com/index.php/case/yasmin_and_yaz_birth_control_pills
Benzene is a clear, “sweet” smelling liquid chemical that has dangerous and deadly effects on those exposed to it for long periods of time — or even short periods of time at high concentrations. As noted below, benzene is classified as a Class A carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The major problem with benzene derives from its use in a wide range of man-made products, including solvents, detergents, plastics, synthetic fibers, dyes, rubber, resins, paint, and many other items. It is commonly found in the petroleum industry, where workers who inhale vapors of petroleum-based solvents run an elevated risk of developing acute myelogenous leukemia (AML leukemia). Some of these high risk group occupations have been identified as (1) chemical workers, (2) refinery workers, (3) rubber workers, (4) printing industry workers, (5) leather workers, (6) press workers, (7) painters, and (8) gasoline distributors.
Benzene is known to be responsible for a number of health disorders, and is linked to Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), also known as acute myelogenous leukemia. Read more: http://www.audetlaw.com/index.php/case/benzene_exposure_acute_myelogenous_leukemia
Plavix: Audet & Partners, LLP Launches New Facebook Page to Help Investigate the Drug, Plavix
Clopidogrel is an oral, thienopyridineantiplatelet agent used to inhibit blood clots in coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease. It is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis under the trade name Plavix.
Based on our experience with previous cases, the firm believes that some people may not be aware that their medical issues, and conditions may be the result of this common drug. We are therefore launching an educational campaign to help people learn more about Plavix. In addition to a television campaign, and a website, we are also launching a social media campaign.
Our most recent part of this campaign is our new Plavix Investigation Facebook page, which is located here: http://on.fb.me/u8mUPQ. If you, or a loved on has been harmed by the common drug, Plavix, please contact our law firm as soon as possible to learn more about your legal rights.
Although many experts believe that vitamin D deficiency may play a significant role in cardiovascular disease, there is little evidence to support the use of vitamin D supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In a narrative review published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Cora McGreevy and David Williams write that the few available studies have been inconclusive and difficult to interpret. More and bigger studies are needed to test the possible beneficial effects of vitamin D supplements, they write. Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2011/12/19/more-uncertainty-about-vitamin-d-supplements/
The anti-platelet medication, Plavix (clopidogrel), has been linked to a deadly blood disorder, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. TTP is rare blood disorder in which blood clots form throughout the body’s small blood vessels, explained NewInferno.
These clots can lead to significant problems if blood vessels are blocked and blood flow becomes limited to major organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and heart. Plavix is manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Read the rest of the article here: http://www.americas-watchdog.com/plavix-linked-to-life-threatening-blood-disorder/
If you or someone you or a loved one suffered serious side effects or died after taking Plavix, call our office at 1-888-99-Audet or visit our website at www.AudetLaw.com
Roche Holding AG’s Avastin may increase a cancer patient’s risk of having a fatal reaction to treatment when it is added to chemotherapy, researchers said.
Deadly side effects occurred in 2.5 percent of patients given Avastin and were 46 percent more common in those getting it in a mix of medicines rather than chemotherapy alone, a report in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association found. The analysis included 16 clinical trials of Avastin for breast, lung and other cancers involving 10,217 patients.
The overall chance of dying because of treatment with Avastin is low, and the risks should be weighed against the drug’s benefits, the researchers said. The most common side effects that led to death were hemorrhage, gastrointestinal tract perforation and infections in patients with weakened immune systems, the study found.
The government delivered a blow to some desperate patients Friday as it ruled the blockbuster drug Avastin should no longer be used to treat advanced breast cancer.
Avastin is hailed for treating colon cancer and certain other malignancies. But the Food and Drug Administration said it appeared to be a false hope for breast cancer: Studies haven’t found that it helps those patients live longer or brings enough other benefit to outweigh its dangerous side effects.
One thing became clear during testimony in the preliminary hearing of Dr. Conrad Murray on Monday (January 10) in Los Angeles: The cardiologist ordered a lot of the powerful anesthetic propofol in the months before his client Michael Jackson’s death.
Los Angeles County Coroner’s officials determined that the pop star died of a lethal dose of the surgical anesthetic in June 2009. Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, has admitted that he administered propofol to the singer in the hours before Jackson’s passing.
Read more: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655621/michael-jackson-doctor.jhtml
Anesthesiology and oncology have been hit particularly hard. Last month, the only U.S. maker of Pentothal, used for 70 years to induce anesthesia, said it had abandoned plans to resume production, which it had halted a year and a half earlier.
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/2011-02-03-drugshortages03_ST_N.htm