A New Orleans jury found for a heart attack victim in the latest round of Vioxx court battles. The jury awarded Gerald Barnett, a 62-year-old retired FBI agent $50,000,000 in compensatory damages. Mr. Barnett took Vioxx for 31 months and had had a quintuple bypass at the age of 58. The jury found that Merck, the maker of Vioxx, had failed to adequately warn doctors about the drug’s potential cardiac risks.
Monthly Archives: August 2006
Infant Tylenol Manufacturer to Pay $5 million
A Philadelphia jury has returned a $5,000,000 judgement against the manufacture of Tylenol for infants. McNeill-PPC was slapped with the verdict for failure to warn of overdose dangers that caused liver damage and death to a 5 year old. Infant Tylenol is more potent than children’s Tylenol and the label did not sufficiently advise of the drug’s concentrated formula.
Jaw Bone Death and Fosamax-an Update
Since the initial news broke about a link between the arthritis drug Fosamax and jaw bone death or osteonecrosis, a panel of medical and pharmacological experts has been convened to study the issue. In most instances, the resulting jaw bone death has occurred after Fosamax patients have had dental surgery or tooth extraction. As a result of the panel discussions, a new moniker for the phenomenon has been added: bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis, or BON.
Epilepsy Drugs and Birth Defects
A drug touted as an effective treatment of epilepsy has been shown to cause birth defects or fetal death in cases where mothers were taking the drug during pregnancy. The birth defects include malformed hearts and genitals, cleft palate, and artery deformities among children born to women taking Depakote. The rate of serious adverse outcomes for the other anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) tested was 10.7% for Dilantin (phenytoin), 8.2% for Tegretol (carbamazepine), and 1% for Lamictal (lamotrigine).
Computer Battery Fires and Consumer Safety
In the midst of the latest terror threat, a little known safety problem has taken front and center. In a story published in the Wall St. Journal, Dell Inc. has recalled 4 million of its computers due to safety issues with notebook computer batteries that overheat and cause fires. Dell has received six reports from consumers about batteries overheating, resulting in property damage to furniture among other things, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. No injuries were reported.
Boston Scientific Assumes Burden from Guidant
According to a recently published article in the Wall St. Journal, Boston Scientific now faces approximately 550 lawsuits regarding problems with its implantable heart defibrillators. According to the article, about 72 product-liability class-action suits and about 477 individual suits are pending in various state and federal courts against Guidant, Boston Scientific said in its quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Taser Settles Lawsuits
In a significant reversal of its previous public stance, Taser International, Inc. has decided to settle the lawsuits against it for $20 million. The settlements would eliminate cases pending before the US District Court in Arizona and the Delaware Chancery Court. The settlement would also mean that the company would be able to escape any presumption or admission of wrongdoing. The lawsuits began piling up after use of the stun gun resulted in many deaths.
Taser Gunned Down
Stun gun maker Taser International Inc. has agreed to pay $20 million dollars to settle lawsuits against its products. After initially stating that it would fight the lawsuits to the bitter end, the company now says it’s best to settle the cases and move on. The lawsuits have claimed that the company overstated the safety of the stun gun.
Taser Will Settle Lawsuits
After initially fighting each individual lawsuit, Taser International has decided to settle claims against the company for a reported $20 million. The company also agreed to appoint a lead independent director as part of the settlement.
Anesthesia Administration a Risky Proposition for Patients
In today’s Wall St. Journal,, there’s a disturbing article about the administration of anesthesia by those who are not properly trained. This lack of training significantly increases the risks of respiratory complications, cardiac arrest, brain damage and even death. According to the article which cites a University HealthSystem Consortium study, “there may be a potentially 1,690 incidents a year nationwide related to sedation-ranging from an overdose of drugs to a procedure that is started before a patient is adequately sedated.”