Product Liability Lawyer Blog

June 14, 2015

Report: Testosterone Replacement Injections More Dangerous Than Gels and Patches

With the huge marketing effort to get every aging male on testosterone replacement therapy hormones, despite them generally not being medical necessary or even proven to be effective, it should come as no surprise the hormone come in a variety of different forms. Drug companies are aiming to make it more convenient for patients.

Testosterone replacement hormone comes in pills, skin creams, skin gels, transdermal patches, sublingual (under tongue) films, similar to breath freshening strips, and injections. While all forms of testosterone replacement hormone have been linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, according to a recent news article from Medscape Multispecialty, injectable testosterone has been shown to cause a higher risk of cardiovascular problems than other forms of the hormone, such as patches and gels.
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June 10, 2015

Hip Replacement Surgery for Patients of All Ages

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Total hip replacement surgery is traditionally a procedure performed on older Americans. Female patients were typically around 5 to 10 years younger than the average male patient, but outside of athletes and accident victims, the surgery was generally performed on patients who were over the age of 50.

According to a recent feature from Costal Point, total hip replacement surgery is now becoming more common for patients both young and old. While many total hip replacement patients are aging baby boomers who still desire to lead an active lifestyle, as opposed to spending their golden years in a nursing home facility, there has been a significant increase in the number of hip implants on younger Americans.

People who are in there 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s are more commonly getting the procedures for sports-related trauma and injuries caused by leading a more active lifestyle than people had in the past. With more people playing recreational sports and running than ever before, there has been a reported uptick in cases of severe osteoarthritis at a much younger age than in the past.
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June 6, 2015

Boston Scientific Settles Another Transvaginal Mesh Case

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent article from FDA News, Boston Scientific has entered into a private settlement agreement with a plaintiff who was suing the company for injuries she alleged are related their defective transvaginal mesh implant.

This transvaginal mesh lawsuit was being heard before the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Trial has already begun in this case, and there had been about a week of testimony and evidence presented prior to the parties agreeing to settle the matter, rather than letting a jury ultimately decide on the case.
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June 3, 2015

Bayer Hopes for New Market for Xarelto

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The general public is becoming more aware of the dangers of Xarelto. The problem with Xarelto is it has been shown to cause serious internal bleeding disorders, clotting disorders and other serious heath problems. There is currently an antidote for the irreversible symptoms of Xarelto bleeding disorders, but it is still in the experimental stages, and the company needs to undergo additional testing before the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve the drug for general use. The antidote is an injectable medication being developed by another drug company, and it will be available for use in the emergency room if and when it is approved.

To help keep sales up with dangers being made known to atrial fibrillation (Afib) patients, Bayer is hoping to find additional customers for their new drug. According to a recent news feature from RTT News, Bayer is now conducting clinical investigations into using Xarelto to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in cancer patients, in addition to the Afib patients for which is currently approved.
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June 1, 2015

Arthritis Pain and Need for Hip Replacement Surgery

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Absent a car accident, sports injury or other acute serious trauma, most people who undergo elective hip replacement surgery are older individuals who have dealt with years of osteoarthritis pain. While the average age has fallen slightly, most patients deal with arthritis pain until they can no longer get around, and eventually decide to undergo total hip replacement surgery.

Prior to having surgery, there are various non-surgical techniques, such as taking anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, medical grade joint lubrication injections, and various other similar treatments, but eventually the pain gets to the point where total hip replacement surgery is the only feasible option.

According to a recent article from the NY Daily News, arthritis is one of the most common chronic health conditions in the United States. Researchers estimate there are over 25 million Americans suffering from chronic arthritis at any given time. While arthritis is cause by either normal wear-and-tear of a joint, or as result of some traumatic impact, with respect to hip arthritis, it is estimated the condition will develop in around 20 percent of all Americans at some point in their lives.
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May 28, 2015

Xarelto Lawsuit Removed to Federal Court

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Xarelto is an anticoagulant medication manufactured by Bayer AG, the German pharmaceutical giant, and Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, markets it in the United States.

Xarelto is one of three relatively new forms of medication marketed to treat patients who suffer from a condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). The other drugs in this class of New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) include Pradaxa and Eliquis. All three of these medications are essentially designed to be replacements for Warfarin (Coumadin), which has been the longstanding preferred course of treatment for Afib patients to prevent clotting disorders such as stroke and pulmonary embolism (PE).
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May 26, 2015

Jockey Takes 2nd in Kentucky Derby with Artificial Knee

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Those who work as professional horse jockey in the world of thoroughbred racing say it takes a lot of skill, hard work and dedication. There are also many health risks involved, which go far beyond injuries from falling off a horse during a race.

Many of the jockeys are forced to restrict their diets, so they do not weigh more than the extremely low (and dangerous) weight limits. This phenomenon was covered in an HBO documentary titled, “Jockey.” The competition to ride the top horses in the world means there is little room for any physical issues with riders, and even a minor injury normally means the end of a jockey’s career.

Gary Stevens was at one time one of the best riders in the sport. However, once his knee damage became too severe, he was forced to retire. Fortunately, he was able to undergo a total knee replacement and was able to get back out on the track and actually finished second in the Kentucky Derby riding Firing Line. According to a recent article from The Courier Journal, riding in the Kentucky Derby with a total knee replacement was practically unimaginable prior to Stevens’ latest race.
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May 21, 2015

Foreign Victims Now Suing Transvaginal Mesh Implant Maker

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Transvaginal mesh implants were designed to treat painful and uncomfortable conditions in women, such as pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence. Essentially, if a woman suffered from an inability to hold back the flow of urine or pain in the vaginal walls, doctors would surgically implant one of these mesh implants to correct the problems.

Medical device companies promised women if they had this simple procedure, they would no longer have to live with painful and embarrassing conditions and would get to live a normal pain-free life. While this sounds good, the devices lead to serious problems due to design defects.

Some women suffered an erosion of the vaginal wall, causing extreme pain and suffering, and making sexual intercourse excruciating. Other victims experienced a complete inability to use their pelvic muscles, leading to extreme discomfort and uncontrollable urination. Something sold as the answer to every patient’s dreams was really a nightmare waiting to happen, as our Boston transvaginal mesh injury attorneys have seen all too often.
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May 18, 2015

Report: Xarelto Sales Down

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While Bayer AG, the German pharmaceutical giant, has seen a recent increase in quarter-over-quarter profits, sales numbers for their bestselling drug, Xarelto, have actually dropped this past quarter for the first time since the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for market.

Xarelto is a member of a class of drugs known as New Oral Anticogulants (NOACs) and, despite what drug makers claim, has been marketed as a replacement for Warfarin (Coumadin) for patients suffering from a serious medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib). Afib is a serious heart condition, which can cause a patient to have a stroke or other serious clotting disorder. Due to Afib, patients must take either a blood thinner or other anticoagulant to prevent clots from forming. Not only can these clots block an artery causing heart failure or stroke, they can break free from the deep veins in which they formed and travel through the patient’s circulatory system to the lungs. If they puncture a hole in a patient’s lung, it leads to a serious medical condition known as a pulmonary embolism, which often results in death of a patient.
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May 15, 2015

Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Hypogonadism

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

This time of year, there are a lot of sports to choose from on television. With the NBA and NHL playoffs in full swing, NASCAR racing and a still new Major League Baseball season underway, many are heading to sports bars, which have enough screens to watch them all at once.

With all of these sports on television, it is almost impossible not to be subjected to a near constant barrage of commercials for testosterone replacement therapy drugs. These commercials tell men who are getting older and losing hair, gaining weight, feeling tired, suffering from mild depression and losing muscle tone (signs of normal male aging) their issues are really symptoms of having a low testosterone count. They can treat this “condition” by taking testosterone hormones, according to drug companies.

They have created a pretty compelling advertising campaign. What middle-aged man does not want to feel 20 years younger?

As it turns out, United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved testosterone replacement therapy drugs to treat aging, but rather a very rare medical condition known as hypogonadism. Patients who suffer from hypogonadism have under-functioning glands and do not promote enough of the hormone.
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