May 14, 2008 – Actor Dennis Quaid testified before the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in a hearing entitled, “Should FDA Drug and Medical Device Regulation Bar State Liability Claims?” The issue was whether FDA approval of a drug or medical device should prevent private persons from suing the manufacturers of those drugs or devices, a doctrine called “preemption.” Other notable testimony against preemption came from New England Journal of Medicine editor Gregory Curfman and former ...
continue reading...Dennis Quaid Sheds Light On Avoidable Medical Errors and FDA Attempts to Shield Pharmaceutical Companies From Liability
Posted May 14, 2008 in Drug and Medical Device Lawsuits | Health | Legal Issues | Medical Malpractice | Product Liability | Product News and Recalls
Digitek, a generic form of digoxin or lanoxin, also known as digitalis, is a medication used for treating heart problems such as congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythm such as atrial fibrillation or flutter. It is manufactured by Actavis Totowa and distributed by two companies connected to Actavis: Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. using the “Bertek” label and UDL Laboratories, Inc. using the “UDL” label.
On April 25, 2008, Actavis issued a recall of Digitek because some tablets have been manufactured ...
continue reading...By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Medical Correspondent
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Like many young men, Josh Nahum loved a thrill. That’s why he took up skydiving. But on Labor Day weekend in 2006, he had an accident while skydiving in Colorado, fracturing his femur and skull.
Josh spent six weeks in the intensive care unit. Slowly, his condition improved, and his doctors predicted that with rehabilitation, he could fully recover in a year or two.
But instead of recovering, Josh developed a bacterial infection. ...
continue reading...April 15, 2008 – Since Jan. 1, 2007, the deaths of at least eighty-one people have been linked to contaminated heparin. FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach testified before a Senate Appropriations Committee that the FDA suspected the contamination had been done deliberately, “by virtue of economic fraud.” Read More
continue reading...By Evan George
Daily Journal Staff Writer
This article appears on Page 1
HEMET – Ramon Rodriguez was always good with his hands. The ex-Marine fixed cars, stitched leather and tinkered with home improvements, despite his diabetes and a failed kidney.
But that was before his skin began turning to stone.
It started as a stiffness in his legs and pain in his joints. Then, he began tripping. When his skin toughened, his doctors were puzzled.
Last year, Rodriguez, 65, was ...
The antibiotic Ketek, manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis, had been reported to cause liver failure, blurred vision and loss of consciousness in adults. Twelve adults in the United States suffered liver failure, and four of them died. Twenty-three others suffered serious liver injuries.1
The company undertook a study of Ketek in 24,000 patients to prove its safety. The trial was marred by fraud, one of the investigators on the study is now in federal prison, and another lost his medical license.1
Sanofi-Aventis first ...
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