Product Liability Lawyer Blog

November 23, 2015

Report: 355,000 Cans of SpagehettiOs Recalled

When we think of food poisoning and product recalls, were are normally thinking of a bacteria or virus capable of making a consumer sick. This was the case with the recent ice cream recalls in which listeria was found in many of the ice cream products shipped to stores across the county. We also saw one recent case where the maker of children’s applesauce recalled its product, because safety inspectors discovered mold growing in some of their production units. However, in that case, it should be noted that the mold was allegedly not harmful to humans, but was considered a problem nonetheless, which is why the company voluntarily recalled their applesauce packets.

However, biological contamination is not the only problem that could cause a food product to be recalled. According to a recent news feature from Fortune, Campbell’s is recalled around 355,000 cans of SpagehettiOs due to safety concerns. In this case it is not a foodborne illness that is causing problems, but rather the discovery of what the company is calling a potential choking hazard, as there have been pieces of red plastic in some cans. Continue reading

November 18, 2015

Defective Medical Marijuana Pulled From Store Shelves

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Medical marijuana is gaining support across the county, and some states are going so far as to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes as well. Medical marijuana is now legal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and anyone with an approved medical marijuana card and prescription from a doctor can legally obtain medical marijuana.

However, when one goes to purchase medical marijuana, they are supposed to go to a licensed dispensary where the drug is provided in a variety of ways, including edible products and liquids that can be ingested. The reason for this is because many people who are taking medical marijuana for health benefits do not want to have to inhale cancer-causing smoke. The medical marijuana sold in these dispensaries is supposed to be medical grade and heavily regulated and inspected for quality and safety. This is not the same marijuana people have buying on the street for decades, according to those in the industry. Continue reading

November 17, 2015

Alternatives to Knee Replacement Surgery

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the United States alone, there are hundreds of thousands of total knee replacement operations performed each year. Not only are more people getting an artificial knee implanted, more people who are younger are having the surgery than ever before.

Most people are having surgery due to chronic arthritis in which the pain gets so bad that the patient can no longer stand it and opts to have an elective total knee replacement procedure. Arthritis can cause formations around the knee joint that cause pain when the ball and socket interact with each other. The spurs can also chip away at the ball and socket joint to the point where this becomes excruciating. Traditionally, patients would wait until they were much older and could no longer walk without substantial pain before having surgery. Continue reading

November 15, 2015

Testosterone Replacement Alternative Value Dropping on Wall Street

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that pharmaceuticals are big business in the United States and many other places around the globe. These are companies earning hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and the last thing they want to see is revenue down and their stock value falling.

According to a recent article from Forbes, Repros, the Texas biotechnology firm, lost almost half its value on the stock market in a single week due to FDA concerns about its new testosterone replacement therapy alternative. While the medical community is generally unsure what, if anything, testosterone replacement therapy actually does to benefit the majority of men who are going into so-called Low T clinics across the nation and taking the hormone, testosterone replacement therapy is the main treatment option on the market. Continue reading

November 12, 2015

Celebrity Endorsements for Potentially Deadly Xarelto

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Xarelto is a member of class of drugs known as New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs). It is an alternative to traditional blood thinners such a Warfarin (Coumadin), which is often prescribed to patients who suffer from a serious medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Afib is a medical condition classified by an irregular heartbeat that causes stroke or heart attack.

While Xarelto has been shown to be effective in preventing stroke or heart attacks in Afib patients, it has a potentially deadly side effect. Thousands of Xarelto users have developed a serious internal bleeding disorder caused by the drug, and this can include intracranial bleeding. There are no warning signs or risk factors that seem to make some patients more likely than others to develop the bleeding disorders, and there is also no FDA approved reversal agent (antidote). Essentially, people come into emergency rooms with internal bleeding, and there is nothing doctors can do to save the patients. For this reason, the Xarealto related bleeding disorder is considered potentially fatal. There is an antidote for a Xarelto competitor known Pradaxa, but that antidote (Praxbind) is not approved for Xarelto victims. Continue reading

November 10, 2015

New 3D Knee Replacement Technology

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from WRAL, when a patient goes into the operating room to have total knee replacement surgery, the doctor will typically choose an implant size most appropriate to the patient. Essentially, artificial knees come in a variety of sizes, much like a pair shoes, and it is up to the surgeon to find the best fit.

While it may be the way it is done hundreds of thousands to time a year, the best fit for an artificial knee implant device is not always the perfect fit. When an artificial knee is not a perfect fit, it can lead to abnormal movement, including rocking that can ultimately cause the implant to loosen or even fail. This will lead to a tremendous amount of pain and suffering for the patient and can even mean the patient will have to have a second or subsequent surgery to have the artificial knee replaced with a newer or different model. This means that patient will have surgery again, then go through a long and painful rehab, and possibly miss a considerable amount of work as a result. Continue reading

November 7, 2015

Knee Replacement Surgery Relieves Pain, But at What Cost

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent report from Tech Times, a study has found that, while a total knee replacement procedure seems to the best form of pain relief for patients suffering from severe arthritis, there may be more risks associated with the procedure than even a well-informed patient might realize.

Study writers contend while total knee replacement is generally a safe and effect treatment for severe osteoarthritis, some of the safety data being used by the medical community in determining the level of risk was not based upon the most sound research practices. Continue reading

November 4, 2015

Watchdog Claims FDA “lax” When Reviewing Blood Thinner Pradaxa

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from the Washington Post, a federal watch group reports the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exercised “lax” judgment and made “questionable” decisions to be accommodating to the pharmaceutical maker Boehringer Ingelheim when reviewing its application for the anticlotting medication known as Pradaxa.

Some of the specific claims were that FDA set loose safety standards for use during the drug company’s human clinical trials for Pradaxa and also that FDA did not require manufacturer to provide a complete and appropriate warning to prospective patients about the health risks of Pradaxa. Continue reading

November 1, 2015

An Alternative to Testosterone Replacement Therapy

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There are so many advertisements for low testosterone treatment with hormone therapy that it is almost impossible watch a football game on Sunday without hearing a soothing voice tell you how you can get rid of the normal signs of the male aging process by going to a so-called low T clinic.

You may be wondering why they are telling all men in and around their middle ages to get to one of these low T clinics instead of making an appointment with their primary care physician. There is a very good reason. The medical community is not convinced that testosterone therapy does anything for the majority of men who are taking the hormone. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved testosterone therapy in the early 1970s to treat a medical condition known as hypogonadism. This is a very rare disease that involves an extremely low production of testosterone. Continue reading

October 25, 2015

FDA Approves Antidote for Pradaxa

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Pradaxa, like Xarelto and Eliquis have taken the blood thinner/anticoagulant market by storm in recent years as an alternative to the tried and true blood thinner Warfarin (Coumadin). These drugs were designed to treat patients with an irregular heartbeat condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib).

Afib patients are at a high risk of developing large blood clots, which can form within the veins deep within the legs. This is a serious and potentially deadly medical condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The clots can break free from the veins in which they formed and travel through the circulatory system to the lungs where they can cause a hole known as a pulmonary embolism (PE). They clots can also block blood flow to the brain resulting in a stroke. Continue reading