Paxil Overview: Paxil Side Effects and Claims

Paxil Drug Toxic Chemicals

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Paxil Overview: Paxil Side Effects and Claims

Paxil, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is one of several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on the market. Paxil was first approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) in 1993, and an estimated 70 million Paxil prescriptions have been filled worldwide, bringing GlaxoSmithKline around $3 billion in annual profit. Paxil is prescribed for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder. The Paxil claim is that increased levels of serotonin in the spaces between brain cells and that these increased levels allow more efficient transmission of electrical signals to the brain and increases a patient’s feelings of well being.
Suffered harm from Paxil? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.
Several studies have found that SSRI drugs have serious side effects, but that Paxil has a greater risk of side effects than other SSRIs. Paxil has been the subject of FDA warnings on suicide in children and adolescents and for the danger of birth defects. A recent study has implicated Paxil in a new form of birth defect. See Paxil Information and Warnings for study results and Drug Warnings: Paxil Side Effects and Risks for information about official warnings on the safety of Paxil.
Check out the following articles for more information about Paxil, filing a Paxil lawsuit and finding Paxil attorney:
For more information about Paxil side effects, see Paxil Side Effects – Suicide, Birth Defects & Death from Coronary Artery Disease
To find out more about the FDA warning, see Paxil Side Effects and Risks
For more information about Paxil updates, see Paxil Information and Warnings
If you would like to learn more about Paxil lawsuits, see Paxil Lawsuits, Litigation & Lawyers
To learn more about Paxil attorneys and how to find one, see Hiring a Paxil Attorney and Lawyer
Suffered harm from Paxil? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.

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Accutane: Drug Overview

Accutane Drug Toxic Chemicals

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Accutane: Drug Overview

Accutane (generic isotretinoin) is a form of synthetic vitamin A used to treat serious forms of cystic acne that will not respond to other treatment. The Accutane claim is that it sometimes permanently clears serious acne after a few months of treatment, while other treatments are only effective as long as they are continued. Accutane decreases the amount of oil (sebum) produced by the oil (sebaceous) glands in the skin and increases the rate at which the skin is renewed.
Suffered harm from Accutane? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.
Accutane is manufactured in the US by Hoffman La Roche, part of “The Roche Group,” a leading international pharmaceutical company with subsidiaries active in 150 countries. Accutane was approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in June 1982, and by 2000 Hoffman La Roche reported that 5 million people in the US and 12 million worldwide had taken the drug, most of them young adults.
Within a year of the FDA’s approval reports began to come in of serious deforming birth defects in children born to women using Accutane. Within 3 years of the FDA approval reports, other alarming side effects, including depression and seizures, began to come in. There were reports of several suicides in patients taking Accutane. Later reports of severe cases of inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatitis were reported.
The FDA has required several increased levels of warnings about side effects and Hoffman La Roche has designed two programs to reduce the number of pregnancies in women using Accutane that were not successful, followed by an equally unsuccessful FDA program.
Check out the following articles for more information about Accutane, filing an Accutane lawsuit and finding an Accutane attorney.
For more information about Accutane side effects, see Accutane Side Effects – Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Suicide & Birth Defects .
For more information about Accutane updates, see Accutane Information and Warnings.
If you would like to learn more about Accutane lawsuits, see Accutane Lawsuits, Litigation & Lawyers.
To learn more about Accutane attorneys and how to find one, see Hiring an Accutane Attorney and Lawyer
Suffered harm from Accutane? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.

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FDA Issues Warning On Avandia

Avandia Drug Toxic Chemicals

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FDA Issues Warning On Avandia

The U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) issued warnings on Avandia, a highly prescribed drug used by diabetics, on May 21, 2007. At that point the FDA only issued a warning, but is conducting further tests on the drug after several studies showed that Avandia increased user’s risks of heart attacks – a dangerous risk for those with diabetes who generally already have a higher probability of heart attacks.
The controversy began after an article was published in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed the results of many tests and concluded that those taking Avandia had a 43% greater chance of having a heart attack than those not on the drug.
The drug’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK), has denied allegations that the drug is unsafe. However, GSK also recently settled a lawsuit for $2.5 million brought by then New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (now governor of New York), who accused the company of withholding information about its products from the public.
Diabetes is a leading cause of coronary heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and limb amputation. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and affects 18 million people in the United States and 200 million people worldwide. It occurs when the body cannot make enough insulin or effectively use the insulin that the body can make. Insulin assists the body to metabolize sugar for energy. Avandia was created to help the body maintain adequate blood sugar control.
Next Steps
The FDA is currently investigating the matter further. For now, it is advising users of Avandia, especially those who are known to have underlying heart disease or who are at high risk of heart attack, to talk to their doctors about this new information as they evaluate the available treatment options for their type 2 diabetes.
There are other forms of medication available to consumers who currently take Avandia. Check with your doctor to discuss what options are available and best for you. If you’ve suffered a heart attack while on Avandia, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area. To find an attorney near you, click here.

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Terumo CVS Recalls Tenderflow Pediatric Arterial Cannulae

Terumo Cvs Recalls Tenderflow Defective Products

Terumo CVS Recalls Tenderflow Pediatric Arterial Cannulae

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems (Terumo CVS) is issuing an urgent, worldwide recall of its Tenderflow Pediatric Arterial Cannulae, a device used in heart bypass surgery, after receiving five reports of difficulty retracting the introducer from the cannula – a disposable tube which, in this situation, is inserted in the aorta and is used to perfuse the ascending aorta.
Manufacturer working with FDA
The urgent worldwide recall is being conducted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who says that when the introducer cannot be retracted from the cannula, the cannula must be removed and replaced, a process that may lead to aortic damage, blood loss and/or death.
Affected products
The following Tenderflow Pediatric Arterial Cannual Catalog and Lot Numbers are affected by the recall:
Catalog Numbers: Lot Numbers:
813568 0501639, 0512002
813567 0501557, 0512008
813570 0502200, 0513069
813569 0502199, 0513068, 0517852
813572 0507121, 0512918
813571 0507120, 0512919, 0518680
813574 0509240
813573 0509238, 0517874
813576 0509241
813575 0500759, 0513331
813578 0500760
813577 0502878

According to the FDA, the company distributed the products to 68 U.S. hospitals and has notified them of the recall. The product was also distributed from distribution centers in Australia, Canada and Europe. Although no injuries or deaths have been reported, the company recommends that customers not use the product unless medically necessary. In those cases, the cannula should be used without the introducer. For additional information, see the FDA’s website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/terumo12_08.html.
About the company
Terumo Cardiovascular Systems (Terumo CVS) is a company that develops and manufactures cardiac products. Its parent company is Terumo Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, a global medical products supplier. Its sister companies are Vascutek, Ltd., an artificial vascular grafts company and Terumo Heart, Inc., a developer of an implantable left ventricular assist device.

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Medtronic Accused of Theft in Texas Lawsuit

Medtronic Texas Lawsuit Defective Products

Medtronic Accused of Theft in Texas Lawsuit

Medtronic, Inc., the Minnesota technology company recently in the news for recalling its Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads, is in the news again – this time for civil theft in a Texas case. The allegations against the company are rather unbelievable. Read on.
The case
A Texas man had a Medtronic dorsal column stimulator (a device that provides pain relief with electrode stimulation) surgically implanted. However, the device began to malfunction – leaving him in severe pain.
His doctor surgically removed the device in early 2006 and it was sent to Medtronic for analysis. Rather than provide the patient with information on what went wrong, the company destroyed the device – which left the patient with no evidence in case he decided to sue the company for providing him with a defective device. Well, he sued anyway.
Allegations
According to the lawsuit, he sued Medtronic alleging that the product was “defectively designed, manufactured and/or marketed by the company.” The suit also accuses the company of fraud, fraudulent concealment, negligence, gross negligence, malicious behavior and breaches of both express and implied warranties.
Those are a lot of allegations, but he wasn’t done yet. He is also accusing the company of committing criminal acts through false, misleading and deceptive advertising about the safety of the product. He is seeking damages for medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, loss of earnings, loss of family relations, loss of consortium and household services, property damage and lawyers’ fees.
A company who’s seen better days
As if the Texas lawsuit wasn’t bad enough, the company’s October defibrillator lead recall affects nearly 235,000 patients worldwide – 172,000 in the United States alone – which may have contributed to five deaths. Patients who have defective leads (Sprint Fidelis model numbers 6930, 6931, 6948 and 6949) may have to undergo risky surgery to replace the defective product.
The U.S. Supreme Court also recently declined to hear a case in which Medtronic appealed to the court saying that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and not Medtronic, should ultimately be liable for defects that arise in their products because the FDA has final say on product approvals.
All this and a 25% drop in their stock price in just over a week since the recall, the company has surely seen better days.

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Medtronic: Who Are They?

Medtronic Defective Products

Medtronic: Who Are They?

Medtronic Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company that makes medical and surgical devices that diagnose, manage and treat diseases of the heart, brain, spine and ear, digestive system and urinary tract. Their U.S. headquarters are in Minneapolis, MN, but the company operates in 120 countries around the world.
Company history. Founded in 1949, Medtronic is now the world’s largest medical technology company. It is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MDT.
The company began in a garage in Minneapolis selling medical equipment produced by other companies. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Medtronic grew and began creating its own equipment. During that time, the company created the first wearable artificial pacemaker. It quickly branched out into other medical areas including ICDs (implantable cardioverter-defibrillators), spinal devices, neurological devices, cardiovascular related products, diabetes devices and more.
Competitors. Medtronic’s major competitors are Boston Scientific Corporation (who recently purchased Guidant Corp.), Johnson & Johnson and St. Jude Medical, Inc.
Revenue. Medtronic reported revenues of $12.3 Billion in its last fiscal year which ended in May, 2007. Their revenue growth was 8.9% for this time period.
Employees. The company employs 38,000 people worldwide. The company’s total number of employees increased 5.6% since last year.
Company information:
Medtronic, Inc.
710 Medtronic Parkway
Minneapolis, MN 55432-5604
Phone: 763-514-4000
Fax: 763-514-4879
www.medtronic.com
Executives:
Arthur Collins, Jr.; Chairman
William Hawkins, III; President & CEO
James Dallas, SVP & CIO
Recent headlines:
October, 2007: Medtronic recalled their Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead. The recall affects nearly 235,000 patients worldwide – approximately 172,000 of those are U.S. citizens. According to the company, the defective leads may unnecessarily shock patients repeatedly (when not needed) or not provided a needed shock to return a patient’s heart to normal rhythms. Medtronic has stopped selling the product and says that five reported deaths may be attributed to the defect.
Several lawsuits have already been brought against the company for the manufacture and sale of a defective product, as well as negligence and claims of emotional distress. Patients with defective leads can obtain additional information at: http://www.medtronic.com/fidelis/ or contact an attorney by clicking here.
February, 2005: Medtronic recalled 87,000 defibrillator and pacemaker devices after it learned that the batteries in the devices may be defective.
Click here to lean more about the Medtronic Recall or to contact a Medtronic recall attorney to review your case for free.

Update: In February 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in Riegel v. Medtronics that patients injured by certain medical devices approved by the FDA cannot sue the product’s manufacturer. As of August 2008, the Supreme Court’s ruling is being challenged in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. In November 2008, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Wyeth v. Levine, which asks whether a patient harmed by a drug can sue under state law if the drug was produced and marketed under terms approved by the FDA.

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Medtronic Shareholder Sues Company for Suppressing Lead Information

Medtronic Shareholders Sue Defective Products

Medtronic Shareholder Sues Company for Suppressing Lead Information

Medtronic has been sued a lot lately. After Medtronic recalled their Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead in October 2007, patients started suing. Now, a Medtronic shareholder has filed suit against the company for suppressing information on the leads that caused the company’s stock to plummet nearly 20 percent.
The lawsuit
Medtronic investor Stanley Kurzweil recently filed suit against the company in the U.S. District Court of Minneapolis where Medtronic is headquartered. Kurzweil is seeking to have the lawsuit certified as a class action on behalf of all Medtronic investors who bought the company’s stock between June 25th and October 15th 2007 – the day that Medtronic announced the recall. The lawsuit alleges that Medtronic made several false and misleading statements about their Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead although it knew about the lead’s problems during that time.
Reports of what Medtronic may have known
Medtronic may have known about problems with the leads much earlier than June 2007. Doctors and hospitals across the country such as the Minneapolis Heart Institute, Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital have reported that they told Medtronic about these problems as early as January 2007 – ten months before the company issued the recall and took the product off of the market.
Patient lawsuits
Several lawsuits have been filed against Medtronic and experts expect that there will be many more to come. Plaintiffs allege that Medtronic acted negligently by knowingly selling a defective product. Many have also alleged emotional distress in these suits as the ‘recall’ may mean having risky surgery to remove or replace their Fidelis lead with another model. In another lawsuit, a Texas patient sued the company for theft after his lead was sent back to Medtronic and the company destroyed it.

Update

In February 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in Riegel v. Medtronics that patients injured by certain medical devices approved by the FDA cannot sue the product’s manufacturer. As of August 2008, the Supreme Court’s ruling is being challenged in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
About the company
Medtronic makes medical and surgical devices that diagnose, manage and treat diseases of the heart, brain, spine and ear, digestive system and urinary tract. Its U.S. headquarters are in Minneapolis, MN and it operates in 120 countries. Its major competitors are Boston Scientific Corporation, Johnson & Johnson and St. Jude Medical, Inc. The company, who employs 38,000 people worldwide, reported revenues of $12.3 Billion in its last fiscal year.

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Kugel Hernia Mesh Patch: The Facts About Recalls, Injuries & Lawsuits

Kugel Hernia Mesh Patch Defective Products

Kugel Hernia Mesh Patch: The Facts About Recalls, Injuries & Lawsuits

The Kugel Hernia Mesh Patch has been on the market for over eight years, but it’s been the subject of a great deal of controversy since that time – including recalls, injuries and lawsuits. Here are the facts about the product in a nutshell:
What is it?
The Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Patch, more often simply referred to as the Kugel Mesh or Kugel Hernia patch, is manufactured by Davol, Inc., which is a subsidiary of C.R. Bard. It is used to strengthen the abdominal wall and repair incisional hernias caused by the stretching or thinning of scar tissue that form after surgery. It was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for market use in 2001, but complaints starting rolling in as far back as 2002.
Why is it dangerous?
The patch is surrounded by a “collapsible” plastic coil ring that is sandwiched between two pieces of mesh fabric so that it can be inserted into a small incision and then “un-coil” once inside the body – the design is similar to a collapsible sun shade used at the beach. It’s that coil ring which is causing all of the problems. In some circumstances, that ring has broken creating a sharp surface that has caused havoc with patients’ internal organs and intestines.
Three recalls
The FDA announced a Class 1 recall of the patch in December 2005 (the most serious form of recall) because the product’s memory coil ring could break, causing the user’s bowels to perforate or create abnormal connections or passageways between the intestines and other organs. The FDA announced a second recall of the product in March 2006 and a third recall in January 2007 due to reports of bowel perforations and other injuries.
The FDA says that patients implanted with one of the recalled devices* should, “seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms that could be associated with ring breakage such as unexplained or persistent abdominal pain, fever, tenderness at the implant site or other unusual symptoms.”
To view which devices were recalled, see the FDA’s website at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/recalls/recall-122205.html.
Injuries & lawsuits
Injuries associated with a defective patch can be extremely painful – and often deadly. In some cases, patients’ bowels have been perforated which have caused serious, life threatening injuries. While Davol initially blamed doctors for inserting the patch incorrectly, it was later discovered – by Davol’s own studies -that the plastic ring was not welded correctly and that problems were not due to surgical error. In some cases, the patch must be replaced by additional, and often painful, surgery.
Numerous product liability lawsuits have been filed against the company alleging that it knew about the problems associated with the patch well before the FDA recalls, but did not alert the public or the FDA.
What can you do?
There are several tests that can be done to determine whether your Kugel Mesh Patch is defective including 1) a lower plate X-Ray, 2) barium fluid swallowed or as an enema, and 3) a reverse imaging CT scan. Your doctor can explain how these work.
If you believe that you many have been injured by the Kugel Mesh Patch, contact an experienced products liability attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.

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Dividing Up Property in a Divorce: Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution


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Divorce-Property-Division Divorce Law

Dividing Up Property in a Divorce: Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution

In a divorce or dissolution of marriage, all the property, including some future income like pensions and retirement funds, must be divided between the spouses. See Pension and Retirement Plans on the Free Advice Family Law page for more information.. Property can also include the goodwill value of a business and the value of increased earning capacity from a degree or professional license obtained during the marriage. There are two general systems for making a division of property – community property and equitable distribution.
Community Property
Some states have what’s called community property laws, which means generally that the money both spouses have earned during the marriage belongs to both of them, and the money that one spouse had before the marriage or from an inheritance or gift, belongs to that spouse as separate property. It isn’t really that simple, of course. Increased equity in separate property may become community property in certain circumstances, and separate property that is commingled with community property often becomes community property. You should check your state law and get advice if there are questions.
The courts in community property states will usually divide the community property equally between the parties and give each spouse his or her separate property. This is not always the case, so if you have an unusual situation-where one spouse is disabled and unable to work, for example-you should seek advice in community property states to see if there are exceptions. This also doesn’t mean that the court will divide every asset in half. The property is divided so that each spouse gets half of the total net value (fair market value of assets minus community debts).
Equitable Distribution
The other system is called common law, marital property law, or equitable distribution. In that system the spouse whose name appears on an ownership document, like a title, deed, or registration, owns the property. Unlike in community property states, a spouse is not entitled to keep separate property. Each spouse is entitled to receive a fair and equitable share of the property of the other spouse.
There is no set measure of what is fair and equitable. Equitable grounds in some states may include the fault of one or both parties in the divorce, while in other states fault is not considered in property division. The factors most commonly considered in the division are the needs of the spouses, the length of the marriage, and the fairness of the division. In practice, the average division is 2/3 to the higher wage earner and 1/3 to the other spouse, but there are no guarantees.
See Community Property and Property Distribution on the Free Advice Family Law page for more information.

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