All Topics

• Coumadin Gets Tougher Warning Label

  Joe Saunders | October 10, 2006 10:43 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Bristol Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of the blood thinning drug Coumadin, has strengthened its warning label concerning the dangers of potentially fatal bleeding. Coumadin, known generically as Warfarin, had previously cited a "risk of hemorrhage" and wasn't highlighted in a black box.

• Concerns Over Acne Drug Acutane Continue

  Joe Saunders | August 22, 2006 9:02 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  According to a recent study, Acutane can cause more than birth defects. The use of the acne drug can potentially cause heart and liver problems as well. The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, pointed to test results from a 7 year study of patients ranging in age from 13 to 50. The tests found higher than normal cholesterol and abnormal liver function results.

• Merck Hit With $50 Million Vioxx Verdict

  Joe Saunders | August 17, 2006 3:34 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  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...

• Taser Gunned Down

  Joe Saunders | August 10, 2006 8:55 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  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.

• FDA Asked to Improve Oversight of Drug Studies

  Joe Saunders | July 10, 2006 8:01 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a plea to the FDA to tighten its monitoring of promised studies by drug companies. According to a Wall St. Journal story, "The Food and Drug Administration doesn't know the status of many postapproval studies promised by drug makers and doesn't make tracking them a top priority, a report released Friday said.The inspector general at the...

• University of Miami Study Raises More Questions About Fusarium Fungus

  Joe Saunders | June 14, 2006 8:39 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  A report from researchers at the University of Miami raises more questions about the recent problems associated with Bausch & Lomb's ReNu contact lens solution.The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reports 34 cases of fungal keratitis associated with soft contact lens use between January 2004 and April 2006. Compare that to the previous numbers from the same institution: only three...

• Large Corporations Pressure EPA to Approve Dangerous Pesticides

  Joe Saunders | June 02, 2006 8:27 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Agricultural and chemical companies are lobbying the EPA to approve license extensions for approximately 20 pesticides that are suspected to retard brain growth in unborn babies and children. The pesticides include Orthene, Trithion, Nemacur and Dursban, are generally sold for use on farms rather than in homes. In spite of its function as a regulatory agency, the EPA has been criticized for...

• More Woes for Guidant

  Joe Saunders | May 23, 2006 8:07 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Fellow Injury Board blogger, James Sabatinihas a nice post on Guidant's latest woes regarding their implantable cardiac defibrillators.

• Boston Scientific Issues New Warning on Defibrillators

  Joe Saunders | May 17, 2006 7:25 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Boston Scientific warned doctors that close to 1,000 of its cardiac implantable defibrillators may short circuit and fail to work properly leaving its patients vulnerable to cardiac problems. The company said that it learned of the failures after purchasing Guidant in April for $27.5 billion. U.S. regulators imposed sanctions on Guidant in December because of quality-control flaws after the...

• Link Between Fusarium and Bausch & Lomb Grows

  Joe Saunders | May 10, 2006 6:18 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  According to a CDC released yesterday, the link between the eye fungus fusarium keratitis and Bausch & Lomb products continues to grow. Fungal keratitis is a painful inflammation of the cornea that can, in some cases, lead to blindness. The infection, caused by a fungus found in the environment, can appear as a result of eye injury, improper use of contact lenses or contaminated contact-lens...