Product Liability Attorneys Blog

CBS News reports that Actos has been pulled from the market in France and Germany after the popular diabetes drug was linked to bladder cancer.

Defective Medical Product Lawyers represent the many people who are prescribed drugs to help fend off an illness or disease only to find out that the company hid crucial information regarding side effects and other problems. Drug companies are constantly in a rush to find the next big cure and sometimes that harms patients because companies haven't done enough research on the products they have created. If you have been harmed by a defective drug, don't hesitate to seek justice.

CBS reports that the French Medicines Agency pulled Actos along with Competact, a drug that combines Actos and metformin, after a government-backed study found the drugs increase the risk of bladder cancer. The agency told French doctors to stop prescribing the drug and advised people already taking it to consult with their doctors.

Actos' parent company, Takeda, told news agencies that a 10-year U.S. trial, started in 2003, hasn't shown bladder cancer risk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began reviewing Actos in September, putting it on its MedWatch list.

The FDA reports that it has been studying Takeda's 10-year trial and at the five-year mark there was no statistically significant association between the drug and bladder cancer risk. But patients with the longest exposure to the drug did have an increased risk of bladder cancer. The FDA performed further analysis looking at how long patients were on the drug and the total amount of the drug they received. The agency recommended that healthcare professionals continue following recommendations on the drug label and patients should consult with their doctor if they are concerned.

It's obvious from the FDA's MedWatch list that drug companies have many problems with their products. To date, there are 99 entries of defective drug products or warnings to consumers about possible problems.

Unfortunately, the drug industry is fueled by big money and drug companies are constantly trying to produce as many as possible to flood the market and get maximum exposure. It brings in shareholders and big profits. But in the rush to produce these products, sometimes they act too quickly, which can be damaging to the patient.

Doctors are required to give patients all the information about a drug possible so patients can make the best possible decision regarding their health and well-being. The elderly are especially at risk because many older Americans take multiple medications, some which can conflict with each other. It is a doctor's job to help you stay healthy.

But because of the complexities of dangerous and defective drug claims, it is imperative that you contact Defective Medical Product Lawyers immediately if you or a loved one is harmed by medication you were prescribed. Waiting only hurts your case. Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, which means we don't get paid unless we win your case. So, if you believe you have been harmed, call us today and set up a free consultation.

Continue reading "Defective Diabetes Drug Actos Banned in Europe, Watched in USA" »

CBS News reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered 21 prosthesis manufacturers to conduct research to determine if metal-on-metal replacements are making people sick or are otherwise defective.

It's possible that any implant can cause damage, instead of easing the pain of people whose own bodies are worn down. Defective medical products can leave the manufacturer open to product liability lawsuits. If you have been adversely affected by hip replacement or other consumer products that have caused you harm, our Defective Medical Product Lawyers are here to help.

It wasn't that long ago that DePuy Orthopedics Inc., a division of Johnson and Johnson, had hip replacement products recalled. As previously discussed by the Product Liability Attorneys Blog, DePuy recalled the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System because of a high failure rate within five years of surgery.

The ASR hip replacement is a metal-on-metal device that has been shown to cause patience to require hip revision surgery because of a design flaw. Now, it appears the FDA is looking into whether these metal-on-metal devices cause metallic particles to get into a person's bloodstream and cause severe pain, shortness of breath, numbness, weakness, damaged organs and other medical complications.

According to CBS News, about one-third of the 250,000 hip replacement surgeries in the United States each year used a metal-on-metal device. The FDA gives a more detailed description of the problem, saying that the metal ball and metal cup in the devices slide against each other during walking or running, which causes metal particles to wear off and enter the bloodstream.

The FDA offers some symptoms:

• Pain in the groin, hip or leg
• Swelling at or near the hip joint
• A limp or change in walking ability

It's possible that those symptoms have nothing to do with a defective product, a thorough evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon may be necessary to determine whether a subsequent surgery is necessary. Patients with these devices are encouraged to pay close attention to changes in their health or new symptoms, related to their:

• Heart (chest pain, shortness of breath)


• Nerves (numbness, weakness, change in vision or hearing)


• Thyroid (fatigue, feeling cold, weight gain)


• Kidney (change in urination habits)

Continue reading "FDA Inquiry Aimed at Metal Hip Replacements" »