Atlanta Injury Lawyers Blog

Published on: February 29, 2012

Meridia Fiasco Shows Need for Watchful Eye Over the FDA

Meridia (sibutramine) is a prescribed drug that patients in Atlanta take orally to manage obesity during the losing and maintaining of weight. It is the first orally taken serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). It influences the appetite control center in the brain to lessen food consumption by raising satiety Sibutramine that is thought to support weight loss.

Abbot Laboratories, the manufacturer of Meridian, conducted a voluntary recall in October of 2010 after the FDA called for the removal from the market. Meridia, a diet drug, was found to cause serious cardiac side effects and could even cause death. 12 months after the FDA voted that the risks associated with the taking of Meridia outweighed its benefits, the drug was approved nonetheless.

Meridia’s side effects include, anorexia, constipation, dry mouth, headaches, heart disease, insomnia, increased blood pressure, increased heart rates, mental impairment, seizures, strokes, and increased sweating. Meridia is also linked to serious and deadly side effects such as pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Other side effects include heart valve disease or cardiac valve dysfunction.
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Published on: February 29, 2012

Taco Bell Sued Over Salmonella Poisoning

by Robert J. Fleming

As a personal injury lawyer in Atlanta and father of two young girls, this kind of news always catches my attention. A lawsuit has been filed against Taco Bell over last year’s salmonella poisoning outbreak that affected 68 people in 10 states. The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a 22-year-old woman in Oklahoma who claims she was infected with Salmonella poisoning after she ate at Taco Bell. She alleges that she was ill for two weeks and is seeking $75,000.

Taco Bell claims that investigators found that not all who ate at Taco Bell had gotten sick. Therefore, Taco Bell suggests that the problem probably originated with their supplier before being delivered to Taco Bell restaurants. Salmonella illnesses were reported in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas from October through January of last year.

Taco Bell is no stranger to outbreaks of food borne illness. In 2000, green onions were the cause of a hepatitis outbreak. In 2006, tainted lettuce caused an E. coli outbreak that sickened 71 customers in five states. And in 20010, Taco Bell was linked to another Salmonella outbreak that sickened 155 people.
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Published on: February 29, 2012

Another Birth Control Pill Recall

by Robert J. Fleming

A large number of birth control pills produced in India to be distributed in the Atlanta and other parts of the US have been recalled because of a packaging mistake that could render the pills useless. Health authorities in the US said Monday that Glenmark Generics, Inc. USA recalled seven lots of generic norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol tablets. The pills were sent to wholesale and retail pharmacies across the US between September of 2011 and December of 2011.

This packaging error has disrupted the daily regimen required for the oral contraceptive to work. It’s not known how many packets are affected by the mistake. Some of the pills were as much as 180 degrees out of their usual place thus causing the lot number and expiration date to be seen only on the outer pouch. The pills need to remain in sequential order to maintain the daily regimen.

Doctors are advising women who take these pills to immediately start using a non-hormonal form of birth control. Woman are also advised to inform their healthcare provider immediately and take a pregnancy test if the experience any pregnancy symptoms.

Published on: February 29, 2012

Actos Proving to be More Dangerous than Avandia

by Robert J. Fleming

Actos (pioglitazone) is a drug that is used by many patients in Atlanta to treat Type 2 diabetes. Individuals who use the drug are put at a greater risk of experiencing a heart attack, congestive heart failure, heart disease, and death. Actos use has also has been associated with a greater chance of developing bladder cancer, kidney damage, liver damage, and bone fractures.

Actos is usually prescribed as a substitute for Avandia because it was once thought that Actos was much safer. In 2010, a study confirmed that both Actos and Avandia put patients at the same risk of experiencing heart problems and death. Following those findings, the FDA imposed stricter constraints on Avandia use, but ignored Actos use.

In August of 2011, the FDA approved more up to date drug labels for Actos. The newer labels informed users of the bladder cancer risks associated with Actos use. An increased risk of bladder cancer was seen among patients who used Actos the longest, as well as in patients who were prescribed the largest dosages.

Published on: February 29, 2012

New Emergency Room Fee Considered A Financial Barrier

by Robert J. Fleming

Hospitals emergency rooms throughout Atlanta and the rest of the country are adopting a new policy of charging patients $150 if they do not have an urgent problem. Last year, over 80,000 patients left emergency rooms owned by HCA Healthcare without receiving treatment after being told that they would have to pay as much as $150 first because their problems weren’t considered emergencies.

This screening method and upfront fee is being used by hospitals in an effort to ensure that the sickest people receive top priority. While those patients who do not require emergency care are given information they can use to find a more cost-effective and efficient form of care that meets their medical needs.

HCA leads the way with this pay-first strategy that is aimed at discouraging patients with nonemergency ailments from going to the emergency room after being screened. It is now estimated that half the hospitals in the US charge this fee to reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms. However, some doctors fear that patients in need of medical attention will do without treatment because of this fee.

Published on: February 27, 2012

That “New Car Smell” Can Harm You

by Robert J. Fleming

Drivers in Atlanta continue to be at risk from the harmful effects of bromine and other toxic chemicals that creates that “new car smell” according to the fourth annual buyers guide to toxic chemicals in automobile interiors, produced by the Ecology Center. This is in spite of the fact that automobile manufacturers are steadily reducing these sorts of chemicals.

As indicated by the report, 40% of all the automobiles tested in 2012 have brominated flame-retardants (BFRs) in their interiors. BFRs are a variety of different chemicals that are used to reduce flammability and slow down combustion rates. However, bromine isn’t the only chemical causing concern. Chlorine, lead, and heavy metals are also deemed toxic and found in cars in varying amounts.

These chemicals are linked to numerous health problems such as allergies, birth defects, cancer, learning impairments, and liver toxicity. And according to the Ecology Center’s report, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the KIA Soul, and the Chrysler 200 SC are motor vehicles found to have the highest levels of these chemicals.

Published on: February 27, 2012

Another Honda Airbag Recall

by Robert J. Fleming

Anyone who has ever been in a serious car accident can attest to the importance of properly working airbags. On the other hand, defective airbags in automobiles can cause serious injury. And many injuries occur when defective airbags either fail to deploy or when they deploy without reason.

Honda has recently announced that it is recalling certain cars, many in the Atlanta area, due to a defect in their driver’s airbag inflator. It seems that the inflator pumps too much air into the bag. And too much air can lead to the rupturing of the bag, scattering metallic equipment through the airbag into the air.

So far, twelve injuries and one death have been related to the defective airbag inflators. Honda had recently expanded its recall in an effort to account for 640 more inflators, which may have been used as replacement parts. Therefore, a total of 272,000 vehicles have been added to the recall.

Published on: February 27, 2012

Problems with DePuy Hip Replacements

by Robert J. Fleming

An executive at Johnson & Johnson allegedly has admitted in an e-mail that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) rejected approval on a DePuy Hip Replacement after reviewing studies conducted by the company. It is alleged, that the studies established that considerable numbers of the product failed too soon, thus creating the need for patients to undergo repeat surgeries.

According to news reports, the alleged statements that the executive made in the e-mail are in direct contrast with statements made by the company concerning the ASR hip replacement. The e-mail was reportedly written in August of 2009 by a DePuy Orthopedics vice president a few days after the FDA privately informed the manufacturer that one version of the hip replacement device did not gain approval.

Before the products recall, Johnson & Johnson was stubbornly maintaining that it was safe and insisted that company studies countered complaints made by surgeons and regulators overseas that the hip replacement apparatus was faulty. The New York Times reports that the mechanism that the FDA disapproved was only sold abroad, but a similar version was allegedly used in hundreds of Atlanta patients that was also recalled.

Published on: February 27, 2012

Antitrust Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Honda and Toyota Owners

by Robert J. Fleming

An antitrust lawsuit was filed on behalf of Honda and Toyota car owners after the federal government disclosed facts concerning a global price-fixing scheme involving eight auto-part merchants. The scheme may have cost Atlanta car buyers and lessees millions of dollars due to inflated prices over a ten-year period of time.

A 2009 Honda CRV, a 2005 Toyota Prius, and a 2008 Toyota Camry is among the cars bought by plaintiffs in the class action period. And the lawsuit names Furukawa Electric, Delphi Automotive, Lear Corporation, Leoni Ag, Sumitomo Electric Industries, S-Y Systems Technologies GMBH, Yazaki Corporation, and Yazaki North America as defendants.

The aforementioned supply wire harnesses and related products to a number of American and Japanese carmakers. The complaint also maintains that the defendants mutually command the worldwide market of automotive wire harness systems. Wire harnesses guide and control electronic components, wiring, and circuit boards in automobiles.

Published on: February 27, 2012

Large Number of Defibrillator Implants Not Recommended

by Robert J. Fleming

A study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that as many as one in five patients (22%) have needlessly had heart implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) implanted against national guidelines. As a result, patients who needlessly received the implants had a considerably higher risk of experiencing complications; even resulting in in-hospital death. And these procedures are costly, unnecessarily wasting thousands of dollars in medical funds.

ICDs are usually implanted in patients with advanced heart failure in an effort to restore normal rhythm to the heart when it beats irregularly. Researchers have yet to find any advantage in implanting these devices in patients who have had a heart attack or who have undergone bypass surgery. Accordingly, national guidelines do not advise implanting defibrillators in patients who have been diagnosed with heart failure or who have short life expectancies.

Dr. Sana Al-Khatib of Duke Universities School of Medicine, the lead author of the study, alleges that some of the implants may have been appropriate; but a lot more were performed in spite of the research evidence. “It’s lack of knowledge. It’s ignorance. It’s not keeping track of the guidelines,” she explained to MSNBC.com. “And we may have some physicians who don’t agree with the guidelines or don’t think the guidelines apply to patients,” she continued.