Dangerous Drugs

March 30, 2011

Boston Personal Injury?: Use of Psychotropic Drugs Can Prove Fatal for Some Elderly Patients

According to information on nearly 11,000 elderly patients, those who are treated with antidepressants, conventional antipsychotic drugs, and benzodiazepines are at greater risk of adverse outcomes and death than if they were treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs. This is disturbing news, considering that nearly two thirds of dementia patients in assisted living facilities are given psychotropic drugs. The Boston Globe reports that in Massachusetts alone, almost 2,500 nursing home patients were given strong antipsychotic drugs that were not recommended or meant for their health issues. If you think that loved one may have gotten sick from taking a medication, you should speak with a Boston injury lawyer right away.

The study, which can be found in CMAJ, notes that this ‘exploratory” examination shows growing evidence that conventional antipsychotics aren’t any safer than atypical antipsychotics when it comes to treating older adults. Dr. Krista F. Huybrechts, PhD of Harvard Medical school and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and her colleagues said they found that:

• Treatment with conventional antipsychotics appears to up the risk of an elderly patient developing a femur fracture by 61%.

March 26, 2011

Massachusetts Dangerous Drug?: Women Affected by Yaz Birth Control May Have Grounds for Lawsuit

by Altman & Altman

Bayer’s annual report says that as of February 1, 2011, it has been named the defendant in about 6,850 dangerous drug lawsuits over the birth control pills Yaz and Yazmin and their generic equivalents, Ocella and Gianvi.

If you or someone that you love developed the following health conditions after taking any of these pills, you may have grounds for a Massachusetts products liability case against the drug manufacturer. It is a good idea to discuss what happened right away with an experienced Boston injury lawyer:

• Blood clots • Pulmonary embolism • Deep vein thrombosis • Pancreatitis • Gallbladder disease • Stroke • Heart attack

February 8, 2011

Massachusetts Dangerous Drug Lawsuit Says Raptiva Caused Serious Infections

by Altman & Altman

Gerald Sylvia is suing Xoma LLC and Genentech, Inc. for Massachusetts personal injury. In his dangerous drug lawsuit, he claims that the drug Raptiva caused him to develop acute retinal necrosis and meningitis. He is now legally blind.

Genentech recalled Raptiva in 2009 after the drug, used to treat psoriasis, was linked to three suspected cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a deadly brain infection that can turn fatal. In addition to attacking the central nervous system, PML can cause paralysis, speech impairment, vision loss, weakness, cognitive deterioration, and death.

Raptiva, a subcutaneous injection, increased the risks of life-threatening infections, lymphoma, neurological complications, malignancy, and death. Sylvia claims that the drug manufacturers knew about the health risks posed by the drug yet failed to warn physicians or patients. He says that the defendants allowed the defective drug to remain in the market when they knew there were safer options.

Unfortunately, each year, thousands of Americans are killed because of adverse side effects from taking prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. In some cases, a defective drug is allowed to remain in the marketplace even after the medication has caused serious side effects in users. Failure to warn of possible side effects has resulted in health complications that could otherwise have been avoided.

It is a drug maker’s responsibility to make sure that their medications don’t cause catastrophic injuries or serious health issues. When a drug manufacturer fails in this duty, the victim or his/her family may have grounds for a Boston dangerous drug lawsuit.

Sylvia et al v. Genentech, Inc. et al, Justia Dockets & Filings
Raptiva is withdrawn from the US market, UPI.com, April 9, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Raptiva, National Institutes of Health
Genentech

Other Dangerous Drug Blog Posts:
Boston Dangerous Drug: Taking Darvocet or Darvon Can Cause Heart Problems, Boston Injury Lawyer, January 28, 2011
Boston, Massachusetts Personal Injury: Are Dietary Supplements Dangerous Drugs?, Boston Injury Lawyer, August 4, 2010
Pfizer Settles for $400,000 the Massachusetts Dangerous Drug Lawsuit Filed by Family of Neurontin User who Committed Suicide, Boston Injury Lawyer, April 5, 2010 Continue reading

January 28, 2011

Boston Dangerous Drug: Taking Darvocet or Darvon Can Cause Heart Problems

by Altman & Altman

Pharmaceutical companies, like other manufacturers, must make products that are safe for use. Medications that are defective or dangerous can prove fatal-especially if one takes too much or falls victim to serious side effects. In Massachusetts, you can file a Boston dangerous drug lawsuit over a dangerous prescription drug or over-the-counter med that caused you or a loved one to fall seriously ill, develop serious health issues, or die.

Two drugs that were recently pulled from store shelves were the painkillers Darvocet and Darvon, which are now linked to heart problems. Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals. Inc. and the Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of both drugs and their generic versions late last year.

Darvocet is one of the most commonly prescribed pain meds. The drug has been given to more than 22 million people. However, the FDA has said that the pain relief benefits are not great enough compared to the related risks. Not only that, but, prior to the recall in 2009, the FDA insisted that Darvocet come with a “black box” warning about its different side effects.

August 4, 2010

Boston, Massachusetts Personal Injury: Are Dietary Supplements Dangerous Drugs?

by Altman & Altman

Consumer Reports is saying that some dietary supplements may be causing more harm than good. Its report warns of 12 ingredients in supplements that can cause serious side effects, including liver, cardiovascular, and kidney problems. The ingredients that Consumer Reports is cautioning against are:

• Yohimbe • Lobelia
• Kava • Greater celandine • Germanium Comfrey • Country mallow • Coltsfoot • Colloidal silver • Chaparral • Bitter orange • Aconite
Consumer Reports says there are even supplements that contain pesticides, heavy metals, and prescription drugs.

According to CNN, the Food and Drug Administration says that these possible side effects are dependent upon how much of an ingredient the user takes over a certain period of time. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration’s power to regulate the dietary supplement industry is limited and many supplements are sold without having to prove that they work and are safe.

A recent article on the magazine’s Web site talks about one man, John Coolidge, who started to experience joint pain, diarrhea, lung problems, hair loss, and the loss of toenails and fingernails after taking Total Body Formula, a supplement that was supposed to improve his health. Hundreds of others have stepped forward to complain about the adverse reactions they experienced while taking the supplement. Based on the FDA’s testing of the supplement following the complaints, most samples had over 200 times the amount of selenium than what was listed on the supplement’s label and almost 17 times more than the recommended intake of chromium.

Some have expressed concern that there may even be some manufacturers who may be adding pharmaceuticals into their supplements. One doctor, internist Dr. Pieter Cohen at Cambridge Health Alliance, says that some of his patients have gotten sick from taking supplements.

Our Boston products liability lawyers want to remind you that there are legal remedies available to the victims of a product that caused serious injuries, illness, or wrongful death.

Three Types of Product Defect:
• Design defects • Marketing defects • Manufacturing defects
Dangerous supplements: What you don’t know about these 12 ingredients could hurt you, Consumer Reports, 2010
Report: Dietary supplements pose health risks, CNN, August 4, 2010

Related Web Resources:
12 supplements you should avoid, Consumer Reports
Selected Examples of Deceptive or Dangerous Marketing for Herbal Supplements, GAO, May 26, 2010 Continue reading