Source: FDA final report Combined Hormonal Contraceptives (CHCs) and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Endpoints (10/2011); Associated Press; NPR Health News The FDA has now released their report on Combined Homonal Contraceptives (CHCs), such as Yaz, and the increased risk of blood clots in women. The study followed more than 800,000 U.S. women taking different forms of [...]
Injury: Stroke and disability from interaction of commonly prescribed migraine medicines Age of Patient at Injury: 49 years old Result: $4.5 Million Jury Verdict Court: Gloucester County, NJ Comment: Our client sued for the stroke which left her paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. She had chronic migraine headaches for which she was prescribed common [...]
Sources: International Verapamil-Trandlapril Study ("INVEST"); American Journal of Medicine. It does according to recent analysis from the International Verapamil-Trandlapril Study. The review related to older patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease who use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) chronically for pain. The results suggest that they are at significantly increased risk of cardiovascular events. "We [...]
Source: US Food and Drug Administration The FDA is requiring all drugs called Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs) to be prescribed and used under a risk management program to ensure the safe use of these drugs. ESAs that are part of the program are marketed under the names Epogen, Procrit, and Aranesp. Maker Amgen was required to [...]
Source: U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania; Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation The District Courts of Pennsylvania have cleared the way for lawsuits against Children's Motrin manufacturer Johnson & Johnson for failure to warn of the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a severe adverse reaction to medication. It was first discovered in [...]
Source: British Journal of Medicine While all oral contraceptives include some risk of adverse side effects, Yaz has an unusually extensive list of potential problems. Medical studies have established a clear correlation (link) betweeen women taking Yaz has and the following serious medical conditions: Heart attack Blood clots Stroke Pulmonary embolism Kidney failure Pancreatitis [...]
Source: United States Food and Drug Administration The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a new risk reduction program—the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy—for all extended-release and long-acting opioid medications. Opioids are synthetic versions of opium and are used to treat moderate and severe pain. FDA experts say extended-release and long-acting opioids—including the commonly [...]
Source: BBC Health News According to a comprehensive review of previous studies on statins (cholesterol lowering drugs), healthy people may derive no benefit from taking statins. The report, published in The Cochrane Library, did ultimately conclude that statins reduced death rates. However, it found no evidence to justify their use in people at low risk of [...]
Source: BBC Health News; British Medical Journal Studies continue to suggest that frequent and long-term use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (frequently prescribed to treat conditions such as arthritis) can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. A recent report from Swiss medical researchers, published in the British Medical Journal, sourced data from over [...]
Drug not shown to be safe and effective in breast cancer patients Erica Jefferson, December 2010 FDA Information The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that the agency is recommending removing the breast cancer indication from the label for Avastin (bevacizumab) because the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for [...]