Drug Injury Lawyers Blog

September 1, 2015

Are Testosterone Replacement Treatments Safe?

Low testosterone therapy has been increasingly prescribed in recent years, resulting in billions of dollars of contributions to the pharmaceutical industry. This type of hormone treatment is typically used in men with low testosterone levels who suffer from decreased libido, low energy, lack of motivation, depression, and irritability. However, recent studies show that potentially dangerous consequences may arise as a result of low testosterone therapies, which include gels, patches, injections, and implants.

Over 2,000 lawsuits have been filed against numerous drug companies manufacturing “Low T,” including Auxilium and Endo Pharmaceuticals. The latest is a 2015 wrongful death suit filed in Illinois against the makers of AndroGel, AbbVie, Inc. The plaintiff claims that exposure to the gel triggered a heart attack that resulted in her husband’s death. She alleges that AbbVie is guilty of:

Negligent design of a defective drug
Not warning consumers of potential dangers
Mis-representing the safety of the drug.

While courts await 2016 trials, anyone participating in or potentially injured by low testosterone therapies should be aware of the risks. Continue reading

August 7, 2015

Xarelto Reported Side Effects Of Brain Bleeds And Strokes And Even Death Has Lead To Lawsuits

by Altman & Altman

The blood thinner Xarelto was introduced in 2011 by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, and Bayer Health Care. The prescribed medication is used by millions of Americans nationwide as a way to reduce the risk of stroke. Xarelto may also be prescribed to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and other blood clot related injuries. Xarelto was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used for patients who have had hip or knee replacement surgery and were therefore at a higher risk of developing blood clots. The FDA later revised their approval to include the additional ailments previously listed.

Xarelto may also be prescribed to patients that are suffering from an irregular heartbeat, commonly referred to as atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation are already at an increased risk for blood clot formation—and if blood clots were to form in the heart and travel to the brain, risk of stroke is prevalent as well. Xarelto should, according to the label provided by its manufacturers, reduce the risk of blood clots. But many patients have found out the hard way that some of the side effects of taking Xarelto are much more dangerous than the conditions they faced that lead them to taking the drug in the first place.

Most anticoagulants that are competition for Xarelto are available with reversal agents that can be used if a patient taking one of these prescriptions begins to suffer from uncontrolled bleeding. Many blood thinners carry the risk of this happening, but Xarelto users suffer a higher number of incidents than patients that are taking other prescriptions for the same ailments. That means if someone who was on Xarelto suffered from a brain bleed, or any other form of uncontrolled bleeding, it would be extremely difficult for doctors to reverse the issue. If the bleeding were to persist despite medical efforts—Xarelto patients are at a higher risk of serious injury and even death. Continue reading

July 30, 2015

Zofran Side Effects Linked To Numerous Birth Defects

by Altman & Altman

Zofran, which could be more commonly known by its generic name ondansetron, may potentially cause birth defects in babies when their mothers are on the prescription drug during pregnancy. GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical company from London, England that manufactures Zofran, insists that their drug does not pose an immediate threat to unborn children. Those who have taken Zofran while pregnant are telling a different story.

A couple from Illinois filed a lawsuit indicating that while the woman was pregnant with their child, she was prescribed Zofran by her doctor as a way to treat nausea and morning sickness symptoms. She claims that the makers of Zofran did not provide any label or indication that would suggest birth defects could be a possible side effect of taking this medication. She believes that if GlaxoSmithKline provided a warning label or any general knowledge that this could transpire, then her son may not have been born with a heart defect that will impact his entire life. Her son had been born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that causes oxygen in the blood to reach poor levels—a complication that requires immediate heart surgery at the time of detection and further surgeries in the future. This young boy, who is about nine years old now, suffers from a condition that deeply affects all aspects of his life. The defect puts him at a greater risk for infection, and there’s a possibility that the tissue lining of his ventricular septal could detach and block his arteries. If this were to happen at any point in the future, he would need to be rushed to the hospital within an hour or he could die from this occurrence. All of these issues stemming from the mere fact that his mother received a prescription for medication she should have never been allowed to take in the first place. Continue reading

July 8, 2015

The Risks of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

by Altman & Altman

In recent years, the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) have been widely debated. Since the early 2000’s, TRT has been used to treat men, generally over 40 years of age, who produce low levels of testosterone. It has become extremely popular as an all-encompassing antidote for symptoms including low energy and low libido. While TRT seems to be a cure-all that promotes bone-health and aids in diabetes prevention, skeptics are challenging its safety. A recent study reveals that TRT use may pose an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in men over 65 and younger men with a history of heart issues. In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to reassess the risk factors and safety of testosterone treatments, including stroke and heart attack potential. If you or a loved one has been affected by testosterone replacement therapy, understanding the Continue reading

July 2, 2015

Risperdal Use May Result in Male Breast Development

by Altman & Altman

Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic drug that is used to treat various disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, Risperdal has been linked to breast development in young boys, a condition known as gynecomastia. Recently, a former sales manager for Johnson & Johnson reported that the pharmaceutical giant didn’t wait for FDA approval before marketing the drug for use in children. Continue reading

July 1, 2015

Xarelto: More Harm than Good? Do You Have Grounds for a Lawsuit?

by Altman & Altman

Xarelto, otherwise known as rivaroxaban, is a prescribed blood thinner manufactured by Bayer and marketed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. Xarelto was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011 for treatment of deep vein thrombosis as well as pulmonary embolism. There is a mounting sum of evidence that claims, however, that Xarelto was not generally approved as a blood thinner. The approval for Xarelto was revised in 2012 to cover patients with reoccurring blood clots—but the decision came against the approval of the FDA’s own panel.

May 15, 2015

Nearly 2,200 Lipitor Cases Filed Over Type 2 Diabetes Side Effects

by Altman & Altman

The number of drug injury lawsuits against Pfizer Inc. over its Lipitor medication continues to rise. Court documents indicate that in U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, where federal multidistrict litigation is taking place, at least 2,185 Lipitor cases are pending.

In their Lipitor lawsuits, the plaintiffs contend that the drug company did not warn that the statin medication could up the risk of Type 2 A diabetes. It wasn’t until 2012 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that all statin labels would have to be modified to include this information. Even then, claim the plaintiffs, Lipitor’s modified labels failed to warn patients about the connection between diabetes and the medication.

Statins are a category of drug that obstructs the liver’s production of cholesterol. This is supposed to lower the risk of heart disease.

April 6, 2015

State Superior Court Upholds $11M Topamax Injury Verdict Against Janssen Pharmaceuticals

by Altman & Altman

According to a state superior court, the parents of a child who sustained serious birth defects because the mother took Topamax while she was pregnant is entitled to $11.6 million from Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The ruling strike’s down Janssen’s appeal to an earlier jury verdict.

The child’s mother, Haley Powell, started taking Topamax in 2005 after suffering from an epileptic seizure and losing consciousness. Two years later, doctors weaned her off the drug after finding out she was pregnant.

Ultrasound results showed that the child had a cleft lip. Brayden was also born with gum line defects. He underwent surgery to repair the cleft but he now has a permanent scar extending from his lip to his nose. Brayden also has a speech disability. He may have to undergo gum-graft surgery and rhinoplasty.

March 5, 2015

First Risperdal Injury Jury Trial Against Johnson & Johnson Results in $2.5M Verdict

by Altman & Altman

Johnson & Johnson must pay the family of Austin Pledger $2.5 million for complications he sustained while taking Risperdal as a boy at age seven in 2002. Pledger, who was Autism, developed Gynecomastia. At one point, because of the abnormal breast growth, Austin’s breasts grew to a size 46 DD.

This Risperdal injury case is the first one to go to trial. J & J’s Janssen unit, however, is adamant that unlike what Pledger’s family and other plaintiffs are claiming, the medication’s Food and Drug Administration-approved label did properly warn about the possible risks. They maintain that Pledger was helped and not hurt by taking the medication. Risperdal is approved to treat certain mood and mental disorders, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, as well as irritability linked to autism.

Aside from the abnormal breast growth, Gynecomastia may cause mental and emotional issues, uneven breast growth, and lactation. It can be especially traumatic for adolescent males. Someone with this type of abnormal breast growth may have to undergo breast reduction surgery, liposuction, chest reconstruction or a mastectomy. There have been at least 1,200 drug defect cases involving Risperdal.

February 6, 2015

Johnson & Johnson Settles Four Transvaginal Mesh Cases

by Altman & Altman

Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of transvaginal mesh manufacturer Ethicon, has agreed to settle four mesh implant injury lawsuits. These are the first of many settlements filed against the J & J unit involving claims alleging that its mesh medical device caused injury to thousands of women. There are about 23,000 transvaginal mesh cases pending against the company right now.

The terms of the settlements reached are confidential. However, J & J was clear to note that the resolutions are not an admission of wrongdoing related to the making or marketing of the mesh implant devices.

Tens of thousands of women have filed transvaginal mesh cases claiming the devices caused them serious injuries. The devices are designed to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, which are known to especially affect women after childbirth or a hysterectomy or during menopause. The device is surgically implanted abdominally or transvaginally.