Johnson & Johnson is under fire again, only months after the company was ordered to pay $72 million to the family of a woman who died after using its talcum-powder based products. Studies have shown a link between ovarian cancer and the use of talcum powder, specifically in the genital…
Articles Posted in Dangerous Drugs
Popular Birth Control Pill Yaz Linked to Life-Threatening Injuries and Death
Yaz, a popular and aggressively marketed oral contraceptive sold by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceutical, Inc., is linked to thousands of injuries and deaths. The once-a-day birth control pill may cause several potentially life-threatening side effects, including heart attack, pulmonary embolism, and even sudden death. More than 16,000 lawsuits have been filed,…
Talcum Powder Linked to Ovarian Cancer
Talcum powder has been used for feminine hygiene, and as a baby care product, for decades. Its name comes from the mineral from which it is derived; talc is composed of silicon, magnesium, and oxygen. Talcum powder is popular for its ability to absorb moisture and reduce friction, which prevents…
Bard IVC Filters Linked to Serious Injuries and Death
Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters were created to treat patients with a high risk of pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition. In 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved C.R. Bard’s Recovery IVC filter. Many patients use anticoagulants (blood-thinners) to treat their risk of pulmonary embolism, but some patients…
Metal Hip Replacements Linked to Many Potentially Fatal Complications in Boston and Around the Country
Hip replacements are one of the most common surgeries in the United States. Degenerative conditions and injuries can result in debilitating pain. Fortunately for thousands of patients, hip replacement surgery provides welcome relief and the ability to resume normal activity. As with all medical technology, the hip replacement industry has…
Blood Thinner Pradaxa Linked to 1,400 Deaths
The drug Pradaxa was the first in a new class of anticoagulant drugs called thrombin inhibitors. Pradaxa was an immediate hit with atrial fibrillation patients as an alternative to the high-maintenance Warfarin. The industry standard of anticoagulant treatments up until recently, warfarin requires constant blood monitoring to check for hemorrhaging.…
Supreme Judicial Court Upholds $63M in Massachusetts Drug Injury Verdict Over Children’s Motrin
The state’s highest court has just upheld the $63 million Massachusetts drug defect ruling against Children’s Motrin and Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit. The family of Samantha Reckis was awarded the verdict in Plymouth County in 2013. They had sued the manufacturer after she became legally blind and…
Family Sues Walgreens, Abbot Laboratories for Wrongful Death Involving Erroneous Diabetic Test Strips
The family of Abbie Harper is suing Walgreens and Abbott Laboratories for wrongful death. The 23-year-old law school student had been using the FreeStyle-brand test strips made by Abbott to monitor her diabetes. The products liability case contends that the strips, along with a blood glucose meter and Omnibod insulin…
Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $2.5M Risperdal Injury Verdict Over Abnormal Male Breast Growth
A jury says that Johnson & Johnson must pay the family of an autistic boy $2.5 million for failing to warn that its antipsychotic medication, Risperdal, could cause abnormal breast development in males. The plaintiffs claim that Austin Pledger, then 7, took the drug in 2002 and developed size 46…
Jury Awards $3.6M Actos Drug Injury Verdict
A jury has ordered Takeda Pharmaceutical Company to pay $2.3M in compensatory damages and $1.3 million in punitive damages to a man who claims that the diabetes drug caused him to develop bladder cancer. John Kristufek said that the drug maker hid the dangerous risks involved with taking the medication.…