Dangerous Drugs

August 13, 2014

Back-to-School: Drugs and Alcohol

With the school year only a few weeks away, we can’t help but think about the myriad of cases on schools and school-aged children that we have defended these 50 years at our family-serving legal office. Being parents, we would like to offer some safety advice, with the hope that this new academic year turns out to be an enjoyable and enriching experience.

Recently Gov. Patrick declared a public health emergency in Massachusetts for the rapidly growing opioid addiction rates. From 2000 to 2012, the number of unintentional opioid overdoses rose by 90%. In the state, a person who consumes opioids is three times more likely to die than a drunk driver. Undoubtedly, this has raised concern among parents about the availability of opioids and other drugs at schools and popular places where children come together.

The law aims to limit access to drugs by minors. According to the Controlled Substances Act, it is illegal to sell, consume or possess drugs, drug paraphernalia including tobacco rolling papers or alcohol within 300 feet of schools, whether public or private, up to secondary school. In 2011 Gov. Patrick tried to reduce this space to 100 feet, though thankfully, without success.

Based on the reported cases in Massachusetts, in 2012 marijuana and alcohol were the most popular drugs among teenagers younger than 18, and also the substances for which they most often sought treatment. Most teenagers start using these substances before reaching high school: the mean age of first alcohol use was 13.2 years, while for marijuana, it was 12.8 years.

How does the law limit access and possession of these substances by minors?
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September 19, 2013

Boston Dangerous Drug Lawsuit Over Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Massachusetts Compound Pharmacy Proceeds

by Altman & Altman

A multi-party lawsuit against the New England Compounding Center for the drug injuries and deaths of people who received contaminated steroid injections is proceeding. Named among them are NECC owners Greg Conigliaro, Lisa Cadden, and Barry Cadden. Products liability lawyers are attempting to add more defendants, including the maintenance company that was tasked with cleaning the facility where the compounding pharmacy was located and a number of pain clinics where the tainted injection was administered.

Hundreds of patients in at last 23 states were exposed to fungal meningitis via the shots, which contained black mold, and over 60 people died from related complications. The defective drug came from NECC, which is a compounding pharmacy in Framingham, Massachusetts that has since been shut down. It also is seeking bankruptcy protection.

In one fungal meningitis lawsuit related to this particular contamination outbreak, one woman isn’t suing NECC but instead is going after its sister companies, which share ownership and other ties with it:

March 25, 2013

Woburn, MA Compounding Pharmacy Recalls Drugs After Regulators Find “Foreign Matter” in Vials

by Altman & Altman

Following the discover of “foreign matters” in vials of drugs for injection, Pallimed Solutions, Inc., a Woburn, Massachusetts compounding pharmacy, had recalled over a dozen products. The decision comes after the state board ordered the company to stop making drugs that were supposed to have been manufactured with sterile processes.

So far, there have been no reports of related injuries or illnesses.

Among the products included in the voluntary recall are those used in eye treatments and hormone replacement therapy and for erectile dysfunction. In a press release, Pallimed Solutions said it made the decision to call back the products following an inspection by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy and the US Food and Drug Administration and to ensure patient safety. According to The Globe, late last year the state of Massachusetts told Pallimed to stop making sildenafil citrate, also known as Viagra, because it was manufactured using “improper components.”

December 13, 2012

Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Update: Framingham, Massachusetts-Based Compound Pharmaceutical Company Now a Defendant in Dozens of Federal Drug Injury Lawsuits

by Altman & Altman

At least 50 federal lawsuits have been filed in nine states seeking products liability compensation from the New England Compounding Center, the Framingham, Massachusetts pharmaceutical company that is the identified source of a tainted steroid injection that has made nearly 600 people ill with fungal meningitis, spinal infections, and/or other complications, including joint infections and stroke. At least 37 people have died. More drug injury cases against NECC are also being submitted in state court.

According to the drug defect lawsuits, the compound pharmacy made a dangerous and flawed product. Millions of dollars are being sought by the plaintiffs for their personal injuries, mental anguish, emotional trauma, lost wages, costly medical bills, and other related damages, as well as the wrongful deaths of loved ones. In Massachusetts, please contact our Boston fungal meningitis law firm to request your free case evaluation.

Because so many dangerous drug cases are in progress, attorneys are seeking to have one judge hear the pretrial and discovery portions of all the federal lawsuits via multidistrict litigation. The complaints would then go to a judge in the original district for trial.

December 12, 2012

Consumer Watchdog Asks FDA to Inspect Pharmacies after Meningitis Outbreak from Framingham, MA Pharmacy

by Altman & Altman

We blogged last month about the nationwide outbreak of meningitis that originated in a Framingham, MA compounding pharmacy.

A consumer watchdog organization, Public Citizen, is now asking the Food and Drug Administration to re-inspect over a dozen specialty pharmacies with records of violations. Public Citizen sent a letter to the FDA on Thursday calling for the agency to re-examine 16 compounding pharmacies that received warnings from the FDA between 2003 and 2012.

Public Citizen decried what it says is the FDA’s recurring failure to follow up on warning letters to pharmacies. “By not fully investigating what could potentially be deadly violations of the law, the FDA is disregarding its primary purpose, which is to protect the lives of citizens,” said Dr. Michael Carome, Deputy Director of Public Citizen’s health unit.

The fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed 36 people and made ill more than 500 has been linked to contaminated pain injections from the New England Compounding Center of Framingham, MA.

The FDA inspected the New England Compounding Center three times before the outbreak and issued a warning letter in 2006, according to Congressional investigators. The letter addressed numerous violations, such as repackaging FDA-approved drugs into smaller doses and mass producing drugs without prescriptions.

Public Citizen wants the FDA to look into warning letters sent to pharmacies in 15 states for a number of violations, including: producing drugs from non-FDA approved ingredients, making copies of already approved drugs, and making compounds without a prescription from a doctor.
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November 5, 2012

30 Now Dead in Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Contaminated Steroid Shots Made by Framingham, Massachusetts Compounding Pharmacy

by Altman & Altman

The CDC is reporting that the death toll in the ongoing fungal meningitis outbreak involving tainted steroid injections is now at 30, while the number of those afflicted is at 419 (those affected by related joint infections are also included in this number). The steroid shots were used for treating back pain, as well as joint problems.

According to the New York Times, doctors that have been treating patients afflicted in this outbreak are seeing certain worrying complications in some, including epidural abscess in the area of the spine where the shot was administered and arachnoiditis, involving spinal inflammation. In Massachusetts, please contact our Boston fungal meningitis law firm if you or someone you love became afflicted after receiving a methylprednisolone acetate injection.

The Boston Globe reports that right before the national outbreak erupted, the New England Compounding Center, which is based in Framingham, Massachusetts, had sent out a “Quality Assurance Report Card” to clients touting it’s labs’ cleanliness even though internal tests showed contamination that was widespread. Two of the three steroid lots involved in the outbreak were made during the period noted in the report card, which claims that the pharmacy’s “extensive” testing of products for microbial contaminants and sterility had a 100% success rate.

October 22, 2012

At Least 10 Dangerous Drug Lawsuits Filed Against Framingham, Massachusetts Compound Pharmacy as Death Toll from Fungal Meningitis Hits 23, 294 Afflicted

by Altman & Altman

According to The Wall Street Journal, scores of plaintiffs are lawyering up to begin their fungal meningitis litigation against the New England Compounding Center, which is located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Already, at least 10 drug defect lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the deadly outbreak that has afflicted at least 294 people in 16 states, killing 23.

Authorities are now saying that about 14,000 patients, if not more, were exposed to contaminated doses of methylprednisolone acetate. In Massachusetts, please contact our Boston fungal meningitis lawyers. Altman & Altman, LLP is experienced in handling Massachusetts products liability cases against pharmaceutical companies and other related parties. We would be happy to provide you with a free case evaluation.

While NECC, which produced the tainted steroid, is currently the sole defendant of the drug injury lawsuits that have been filed so far, more possible defendants, such as the medical facilities where the steroid was administered, doctors that gave the injection, suppliers, and others involved in the chain of distribution and sale of contaminated steroid, could be added to the mix.

Some of the plaintiffs contend that the shot caused them to develop meningitis, while others, who haven’t been afflicted, are seeking damages for “emotional distress” and other personal injuries. A class action is even being sought by some of the plaintiffs.

Fungal meningitis is not contagious. Only those that received the steroid shot are believed to be at risk during this current outbreak. Early symptoms may include stiff neck, fever, dizziness, headache, nausea, numbness, sensitivity to light, slurred speech, stiff neck, and swelling or redness in the area where the injection was administered. Symptoms can take more than 30 days after exposure to the fungus to appear. Serious side effects may include stroke, long-term disability, memory impairment, speech difficulties, physical impairment, and even death.

Lawsuits Mount as Meningitis Deaths Rise, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2012

23 Dead in Meningitis Outbreak, ABC News, October 22, 2012

Fungal Meningitis, CDC

More Blog Posts:
Framingham, Massachusetts Compounding Pharmacy Linked to Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Had Settled Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Similar Allegations in 2007, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, October 12, 2012

Steroid Linked to Rare Fungal Meningitis Outbreak May Have Been Administered to About 13,000 People in 23 States, Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, October 8, 2012

Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Massachusetts Pharma Company, Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, October 16, 2012 Continue reading

October 12, 2012

Framingham, Massachusetts Compounding Pharmacy Linked to Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Had Settled Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Similar Allegations in 2007

by Altman & Altman

According to the Associated Press, the New England Compounding Center had already settled a wrongful death lawsuit over similar allegations in 2007. The Framingham, Massachusetts compounding pharmaceutical company is considered the source of the tainted steroid shots that are believed to be the cause of this current fungal meningitis outbreak. Already, reports the CDC, over 185 people in 10 states have fallen ill and at least 14 people have died in this latest contamination.

Please contact our Boston defective medication lawyers if you believe that you have fallen ill because of a dangerous or contaminated medication. Altman & Altman LLP also represents drug defect clients throughout the US.

In the earlier case, the victim, 83, died about 18 months after getting a shot that New England Compounding Center had produced. His loved ones contended that the shot was contaminated and caused him to develop the bacterial meningitis, which led to his death in 2004. A settlement was reached with his widow.

June 19, 2012

Boston Dangerous Drug Lawsuits: YAZ, Ocella, and Yasmin Birth Control Pills Linked to Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Stroke, Heart Attack, and Myocardial Infarction Side Effects

by Altman & Altman

Our Boston injury lawyers are offering free case assessments to women in Massachusetts who believe that they may have developed serious complications from taking Yasmin, YAZ, or Ocella birth control pills. These contraceptives all contain the progestin drospirenone, which has been linked to venous thromboembolic events, including heart attack, pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemic stroke (CVA). Yasmin and YAZ are made by Bayer AG. Ocella, which is Yasmin’s generic version, is distributed by Barr Laboratories.

As you can imagine, these are serious health complications to have from taking oral contraceptives that also have been used to treat moderate acne, menopause, and osteoporosis. Yet as of the April, Bayer AG had already paid $142 million to women contending that Yasmin or YAZ had caused their blood clots, which can lead to some of these more serious health complications and even death.

However, if JP Morgan Chase & Co. analyst Richard Vosser is to be believed (per Bloomberg.com, he thinks that Bayer may end up paying over $2.65 billion dollars to resolve all its YAZ and Yasmin lawsuits), the 500 dangerous drug lawsuits involving venous clot injuries that have already been settled do not comprise even half of the cases that will have to be resolved. (There have also been women who have stepped forward contending that Yasmin and YAZ can cause gallbladder damage and/or gall stones. Bayer is rejecting these claims.)

In April, the US Food and Drug Administration ordered Bayer and the makers of other birth control pills containing drospirenone to strengthen their warning that these oral contraceptions cause blood clots. Researchers have said that drospirenone may up the risks of clots by three times.

Bayer Yasmin Lawsuit Settlements Climb To $142 Million, Bloomberg, April 26, 2012

FDA Drug Safety Communication: Updated information about the risk of blood clots in women taking birth control pills containing drospirenone, FDA, April 10, 2012

More Blog Posts:
Boston Products Liability: Yaz Birth Control Pill May Cause Serious Side Effects and Health Complications, Boston Injury Lawyers Blog, April 12, 2012

New FDA Report Suggests Exercising Caution About Using Fosamax Long-Term, Boston Injury Lawyers Blog, May 11, 2012

Pradaxa Lawsuit Claims Drug’s Side Effects Caused Woman to Bleed to Death, Boston Injury Lawyers Blog, April 30, 2012 Continue reading

May 11, 2012

New FDA Report Suggests Exercising Caution About Using Fosamax Long-Term

by Altman & Altman

The Food and Drug Administration has published an analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine about the long-term use of Fosamax. The bone-building drug has recently come under fire following reports that it has caused a number of women to develop weaker bones and other serious health complications, such as osteonecrosis of the jaw, atypical thigh fractures, and esophageal cancer. In recent years, the number of Fosamax lawsuits and other injury claims blaming bisphosphonates has grown. While the FDA isn’t recommending against the long-term use of bisphosphonates, it has voiced concerns about the potential risks involved from taking this type of medication for too long.

To investigate further, the federal agency looked at data from women who had been taking bisphosphonates for six to 10 years. Its analysis found that there wasn’t a lot of benefit from taking bone-building drugs after three to five years. However, rather than make a recommendation about whether long-term use is wise or necessary, the FDA’s report noted that this decision should be determined on an individual basis based according to the risks and benefits for each patient.

In its report, The FDA did say that women who have a bone density that is close to normal or have a low fracture risk might be good candidates to stop using bisphosphonates after three to five years. The federal agency also reported that older patients with a bone density that is in the osteoporotic range and are considered high risk for developing fractures could benefit from continuing to take these medications over a longer period of time.

Our Boston injury lawyers represent clients with Massachusetts dangerous drug cases with products liability claims against manufacturers. Medications are supposed to help, not hurt a patient. Serious side effects should be more the exception than the norm.

FDA Still Cautious About Bone Drugs, ABC News, May 10, 2012

Bisphosphonates for Osteoporosis – Where Do We Go from Here?, The New England Journal of Medicine, May 9, 2012

More Blog Posts:
Pradaxa Lawsuit Claims Drug’s Side Effects Caused Woman to Bleed to Death, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, April 30, 2012

Another Boston Injury Lawsuit Blames DES Drug for Causing Newton Woman’s Breast Cancer, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 30, 2012

Aspirin Causes Some People More Harm than Good, Says Study, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 21, 2012 Continue reading