Product Liability Lawyer Blog

November 19, 2014

Actor Steve Carrell Discusses Hip Replacement Surgery

Actor Steve Carrell joked with David Letterman about his hip replacement surgery during a recent appearance on the talk show. According to a news feature by People Magazine, Carrell talked at length about the hip replacement surgery he had last year.

The 52-year-old actor said he hurt his hip during an old hockey injury and was walking with a limp before having hip replacement surgery. He took a few months to recover and is walking fine after the surgery. Carrel said the surgery cost around $10,000, and Letterman pointed out that they give you the old hip to make soup.
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November 16, 2014

Testosterone Replacement Therapy Drug Sales Fall Amid Health Concerns

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Drug companies have been reaping huge profits from testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) drugs over the past decade. The drugs come in many forms, including injectable, transdermal patches, skin gels, and oral tablets.

Despite the fact that scientists and doctors do not know if having a low testosterone (Low T) level is harmful or if it is beneficial to raise a patient’s testosterone, TRT use has increased at an alarming rate of over 400 percent. In fact, TRT drugs were first developed in the 1970s to threat the still rare condition of hypogonadism.

What testosterone replacement therapy manufacturers did not want patients to know is there are serious side effects associated with TRT, including an increased risk for strokes and heart attacks and other heart problems. The reason they didn’t want patients to know about these risks is that it could harm sales. However, according to a recent report by Bloomberg Business Week, is seems that safety concerns are slowing sales of TRT medications after all.
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November 13, 2014

First Federal Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit against Boston Scientific Heads to Court

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Boston Scientific Corporation is headed to trial over its Obtryx transvaginal mesh devices, according to a recent report from Reuters. The company has faced complaints from over 23,000 victims who allege that its transvaginal mesh (TVM) implant caused serious personal injury.

The Obtryx device is a transvaginal mesh implant designed to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and a condition known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Specifically, Obtryx is a bladder sling made from mesh that is supposed to keep the bladder closed. It was marketed as a minimally invasive solution that would allow women with urinary issues to lead a normal life.
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November 10, 2014

In Kenser v. Premium Nail Concepts, Inc.: Products Liability involving Nail Salon Chemicals

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Some occupations involve working with hazardous chemicals on a daily basis. In Kenser v. Premium Nail Concepts, Inc., a case from the Montana Supreme Court, plaintiff operated a nail salon from 1998 to 2009. In 1999, she began using a liquid nail product that was repackaged and distributed by defendant.

In 2008, plaintiff developed painful boils on her face, rashes, and had trouble breathing. She filed a workers compensation claim, and the commission’s doctor diagnosed her with ethyl methacrylate (EMA) sensitivity. EMA is an ingredient in the liquid nail product sold by defendant.

Plaintiff learned about defendant’s product at a trade show in 1999. She chose to use it exclusively in her shop. When making an acrylic nail, nail salon workers mix defendant’s powder with their liquid product and apply it to client’s nail with a brush. After the acrylic is dry, the worker files it and shapes it before applying nail polish. It is common for workers to get the product on their own hands during the process. Workers are also exposed to fumes and dust during the process.
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November 7, 2014

Doctors and FDA Concerned About Testosterone Replacement Therapy Side Effects

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

It used to be considered a normal part of aging for a man to grow old and experience reduced sex-drive, hair loss, weigh gain and increased fatigue. These days, according to the many television commercials and magazine ads, men can seemingly reverse the process. These ads have identified the reduced testosterone level as a “condition” called “Low-T.”

Drug companies encourage mature men to visit T-Clinics or request from their physician testosterone replacement therapy to reverse these symptoms. The advertisements claim men will be able to reclaim their youth by seeking these treatments.

This has led to a nearly 500 percent increase in the number of men taking testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) injections, or using TRT transdermal creams, gels, patches, or taking oral testosterone. The medical community has become rightly concerned that this can lead to serious complications stemming from use of a medication patients probably didn’t need in the first place.
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November 5, 2014

Boston Device Manufacturer is Creating Custom Artificial Knees Using 3D Printing

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Over the past decade, we have seen huge increases in the number of patients having total knee replacement surgical procedures. Doctors and medical device manufacturers have essentially been telling older patients that with a total knee replacement, they will be free of pain and have the same degree of mobility enjoyed in youth.

Along with an increase in total knee replacements, we have seen an increase in postoperative patients suffering from serious complications as result of the surgery, including increased pain and, in some cases, a total failure of the artificial joint.
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November 1, 2014

Amid Xarelto and Pradaxa Woes, FDA Approves New Oral Anticoagulant

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Pradaxa, Xarelto and Eliquis are drugs that fall under a new class of medications known as “new oral anticoagulants” or NOACs. Patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation require an anticoagulant to reduce the risk of strokes and serious blood clot disorders that can be fatal.

For many years, Warfarin has been the industry standard anticoagulant prescribed to these patients. Recently, NOACs have hit the market with FDA approval and are earning record profits for their respective manufacturers (Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer/Bristol Myers Squibb).
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October 29, 2014

Boston Holds Summit to Address Lead Paint Hazard

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Lead paint poses significant hazards to young children, due to the lead pigment being sweet to the taste and the likeliness that old paint will flake or easily peel off walls. When young children eat lead paint chips, the increased lead levels in their systems can cause serious developmental disorders, including a permanent loss of IQ points, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, loss of cognitive abilities and other harmful conditions.

According to a recent article in the Bay State Banner, a Massachusetts summit was hosted to address the dangers posed by lead paint in buildings across the Commonwealth.
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October 26, 2014

A Look at Testosterone Therapy and Hypogonadism

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

“Low T” clinics are popping up all across the nation to provide a quick and convenient place to get a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) injection. Interestingly, the vast increase of Low-T clinics and the amount of TRT drugs being administered is not due to the very low rates of hypogonadism, which is the rare disorder TRT is approved to treat.

According to a recent news feature from Worldcrunch, one TRT patient interviewed said, at age 25, he went to his doctor and had a blood test. His doctor told him that his testosterone level was in the bottom five percent for a man of his age but refused prescribe TRT treatment.

A few years later, he was talking to a friend who told him how testosterone injections had changed his life. Armed with this new knowledge, he went to a Low-T clinic that recommended TRT. He goes to the clinic every two months and self-injects every ten days. He pays about $300 a month for TRT.
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October 23, 2014

Contaminated Xarelto is Recalled by Drug Company

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Xarelto is a member of a new class of anticoagulant drugs that has been approved to reduce the risk of stroke and other blood-clotting disorders in patients with atrial fibrillation.

The new drug, manufactured by Janssen, has been linked to cases of serious internal bleeding disorders, including hemorrhaging and intracranial bleeding. If a patient takes Xarelto and begins to bleed internally, there is no approved treatment or way to reverse the serious and potentially fatal side effect of the drug.
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