MS Drug, Tysabri, Linked to Brain Infection
The Irish drug maker, Elan, has received a subpoena from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission seeking information related to its multiple-sclerosis drug, Tysabri. Back in July 2008, Elan and its marketing partner, Biogen Idec Inc. notified regulatory agencies of two confirmed cases of a rare infection of the brain known as "progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy" (PML) in MS patients taking the drug. Tysabri had been taken off the market years ago due to its dangerous side effects, but it was then re-launched with Elan and others monitoring its side effects very closely. Tysabri received FDA approval in 2006 as a monotherapy (not to be used in combination with another disease-modifying therapy) for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of MS to delay the accumulation of physical disability and reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Because of Tysabri's link to PML, this drug has generally only been recommended for patients who cannot tolerate alternate MS therapies. Tysabri is given to patients once every four weeks by IV infusion. The FDA prescribing information does include a black box warning about the risk of PML. PML usually leads to death or severe disability. PML symptoms include: Clumsiness Progressive weakness on one side of the body Changes in thinking, memory, and orientation Confusion Though Tysabri had a black box warning about the risk of PML, you may be entitled to monetary compensation if you or a loved one has taken this drug and suffered from these very serious adverse effects. If you have taken Tysabri or some other dangerous drug, please contact the defective drug attorneys at Jacoby & Meyers, LLC today to schedule a confidential consultation.
Patients Received Excessive Levels of Radiation Due to Medical Error
California public health officials are currently investigating a series of medical errors committed by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Over the past 18 months, 206 patients received high doses of radiation during CT brain scans.
According to a statement released by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, patients were exposed to eight times the normal dose of radiation during CT scans used to diagnose strokes. The medical error was discovered in August after a patient reported hair loss following a CT scan. Several other patients have also suffered temporary hair loss and skin-reddening.
Public health officials have discovered that the machine in question has been set to a higher radiation level since February 2008. The hospital has notified all patients who received a CT scan from this machine during this time period.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning to hospitals across the country about the potential dangers of radiation from CT scans and asked all hospitals to review their safety procedures. Excessive doses of radiation pose a serious hazard to patients. Cedars-Sinai may potentially face a series of medical malpractice lawsuits as a result of this egregious error.
If you have been the victim of a medical error in the Los Angeles, California area, please contact the medical malpractice lawyers at Jacoby & Meyers today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Labels: medical malpractice
Baby Food Recall
Plum Organics has recalled apple and carrot baby food products in portable pouches. The product recall has been issued due to concerns of potential botulism contamination.
The baby food manufacturer released a statement indicating that these products do not meet FDA guidelines for acidity level. As a result, they may more easily develop botulism contamination.
Botulism is a serious health condition caused by the development of bacteria in food. In certain situations, it can be life threatening.
Plum Organics has urged consumers to stop feeding these defective products to their babies at once due to this serious health risk. As of now, there have been no reports of illness from the defective baby food, and Plum Organics claims that no other products have been contaminated.
The recalled baby food was sold across the country at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us stores. It came in 4.22-ounce pouches with a "best by" date of May 21, 2010. The UPC code is 890180001221.
If your child develops botulism poisoning from ingesting contaminated Plum Organics baby food, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your child's damages. It is important to consult an experienced defective product lawyer at once to find out the best way to proceed with your case.
If you have a defective product claim in the Baltimore, Maryland area, please contact
the Maryland personal injury lawyers at Cohen & Dwin, P.A. today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Labels: defective product
Verdict Against Family Dollar Store Stands in Wage and Hour Lawsuit
The United States Supreme Court decided that they would not review a $35.6 million judgment against Family Dollar Stores, Inc. in a class action
wage and hour lawsuit. As a result, the 2008 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling will stand, awarding each of the 1,424 plaintiffs in the lawsuit approximately $29,000 in back pay.
The class action lawsuit claimed that Family Dollar Stores violated the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act by forcing employees to work 60-70 hours a week without receiving overtime pay since they were technically considered "managers." However, much of their time at work was dedicated to non-managerial tasks such as mopping floors, unloading trucks, and stocking shelves.
A spokesperson for Family Dollar expressed the company's disappointment at the Supreme Court's decision, and they stand by their employment practices. Unfortunately, while the company will be forced to compensate employees for time worked, the ruling is unlikely to prevent them from committing similar wage and hour violations in the future.
If you have been the victim of unfair employment practices, an experienced employment lawyer can help you receive the fair compensation you deserve. It is important to hold employers accountable for their actions so that others are not subjected to similar unfair treatment in the future.
If you have a wage and hour claim in the Denver, Colorado area, please contact the Denver employment law attorneys at Burg, Simpson, Eldredge, Hersh & Jardine, P.C. today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Florida Nurse Reuses IV Supplies, Endangers Patients' Health
A nurse at the Broward General Medical Center has been suspended by the hospital after they discovered that she had been reusing supplies while dispensing IV fluids during stress tests. The hospital has also urged all patients who may have received treatment with contaminated supplies to get tested for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis, C, and HIV.
The nurse repeatedly reused saline bags and tubing during cardiac stress tests, potentially exposing more than 1,800 patients to dangerous blood-borne diseases. This negligent behavior has been occurring since early in 2004.
The hospital recently discovered the transgression and took immediate action. They received an anonymous phone call on September 1, began an investigation at once, and suspended the nurse eight days later. Broward General Medical Center is currently conducting a rigorous review of the incident and considering changes to hospital protocol to ensure that this behavior does not happen again in the future.
Currently, there have been no reports of any patients getting hepatitis or HIV as a result of the nurse's actions.
A hospital has an obligation to provide safe treatment to all of its patients. When an employee violates proper safety protocol and injures a patient, both the employee and the hospital may be liable to compensate the victim for damages in medical malpractice
lawsuit.
If you have been injured by the negligent actions of a health care professional in the West Palm Beach, Florida area, please contact Florida medical malpractice attorney Craig Goldenfarb today to schedule your initial consultation.
Labels: medical malpractice
|
