The reproductive and drug safety advisory panels just voted on the safety of Bayer's drospirenone oral contraceptives. The verdict: 15-11 voted that the pill's risks outweighed any possible benefits and 21-5 voted that the pill's information label needs to be amended to include a possible increased risk of blood clots.
Last Updated (Monday, 19 December 2011 12:02)
SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), which are found in most antidepressants (including Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax, Luvox, Luvox CR, Paxil, Paxil CR, Pexeva, Zoloft, and Viibryd), were added to the FDA's MedWatch after they were found to increase the risk of PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the newborn).
Last Updated (Wednesday, 14 December 2011 14:32)
In the largest settlement to date between a drug company and the federal government, GlaxoSmithKline will pay $3 billion to settle civil and criminal claims related to its illegal marketing practices for several drugs. Avandia, one of the pharmaceutical company's most widely distributed drugs, was found to increase the risk of heart attacks in some patients. Rather than modifying the drug label to include an increased warning for heart attacks, or voluntarily recalling the drug, GlaxoSmithKline attempted to suppress an article that linked Avandia to the increased risk of heart attacks.
Last Updated (Friday, 02 December 2011 09:29)
Merck & Co., the pharmaceutical company charged with illegally promoting its painkiller Vioxx for unapproved uses, settled for $950 million in court last Tuesday. The drug manufacturer faced criminal and civil charges for its false advertisements after some patients suffered severe adverse side effects from the mismarketing.
Merck & Co. is not the only pharmaceutical company to face court charges after ignoring patient health for profit. Some other companies that have recently undergone huge settlements for illegal marketing include GlaxoSmithKline ($2.3 billion), Abbott Laboratories ($1.4 billion), and Eli Lilly & Co (1.42 billion).
Last Updated (Thursday, 24 November 2011 21:16)
The pharmaceutical business is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and consistently rated as the most profitable in the world. The industry was recently handed a controversial victory by the Supreme Court — a ruling that may put Americans at risk. The court ruling, Pliva v. Mensing, gives generic manufacturers less liability if their products allegedly cause harm. The average consumer may not know it, but as of 2011, generic drugs and name-brand drugs differ significantly: not in their chemical make-up, but in the legal protections consumers have if something goes wrong. Patients who choose generics — or who have them chosen by their insurance company, pharmacist, or doctor — may unknowingly give up their ability to seek reparations under state law.
To illustrate: two patients walk into a pharmacy and get prescriptions filled for the same ailment. One buys a brand-name drug, the other a generic. Both medicines have identical ingredients, provide the same health benefit, and have labels that match word for word. Unfortunately, both patients suffer devastating harm because the labels fail to disclose known serious side effects. Thanks to Pliva v. Mensing, one patient can seek legal remedy to recover expensive costs. The other, the one who bought a generic pharmaceutical, cannot.
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In the age of prescription drugs and antidepressants, where drugs are administered over-the-counter without any major restrictions, more people are dying each year from medications than from traffic accidents. A recent L.A. Times article looked at the impact prescription drugs have upon American society, and their dangers if used in certain combinations. In 2009, prescription drugs factored in the deaths of over 37,000 people. Less people died in motor vehicle accidents that year, which was a new phenomenon, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While most other causes of "preventable" deaths are declining, prescription drug-related deaths are increasing. According to The Times, the death toll due to prescriptions has doubled in the last decade, claiming a life approximately every 14 minutes. For concerned doctors, parents, and consumers, these deaths indicate a growing epidemic.
The FDA has warned of serious complications linked to TransVaginal Mesh. According to the FDA, the most serious side effects include vaginal mesh erosion, a serious and very painful complication that may lead to splitting of skin or tissue. Additional serious side effects from TransVaginal mesh include infection, pelvic organ prolapse, and urinary incontinence. Serious complications from vaginal mesh devices may be observed from almost a dozen different medical device manufacturers. The dangerous side effects came to light in a clinical trial that was stopped after an unacceptable percentage of the women implanted with the vaginal mesh medical device suffered vaginal mesh erosion within a period of only three months of receiving the vaginal mesh device. According to one of the largest analyses of almost 12,000 women, about 10% of women experienced mesh erosion within a year after surgery. This figure includes both synthetic mesh and biologic types. Mesh problems tend to develop at least a month after surgery for POP as opposed to the immediate recovery period. The average time for an erosion of mesh to occur may vary by surgery. Last Updated (Thursday, 04 August 2011 16:25)
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Clomid (clomiphene citrate), one of the most popular fertility drugs on the market, has been found to increase the risk to severe birth defects, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control. Clomid, also marketed as Serophenea, induces ovulation in women who do not usually produce eggs. According to the recent research, which looked at women using Clomid anywhere from two months before conception to one month of pregnancy, serious birth defects - ranging from anencephaly (open cranium lacking a brain), esophageal atresia (closed esophagus), omphalocele (abdominal wall defect), craniosynostosis (premature fusion of skull bones), and gastrointestinal and genital defects - were observed. Last Updated (Sunday, 28 August 2011 14:27)
The online journal Ranker just published a Top 10 List of all the recalled drugs in America: 1) Celebrex - an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) linked to heart attacks and strokes. In 2004 Pfizer sponsored a study that 2) 3) Heparin - a blood thinner associated with severe allergic reactions. Heparin also caused oral swelling, nausea, vomiting, sweating, shortness of breath, and cases of severe hypotension (low blood pressure). Last Updated (Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:06)
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Written by Drug Recall Writer
Anybody who watches television, surfs the Internet or flips through a magazine is very familiar with advertising for pharmaceutical drugs picturing attractive, healthy and active people. Prescription and over the counter drugs are used by millions of consumers for various ailments, diseases and medical conditions. For most, prescription drugs can provide great benefit or relief. A consequence of the development of many drugs and the marketing to millions of consumers, are serious side effects or other undesired results. In extreme cases, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) or manufacturer may recall or withdraw a drug.
Over the past few years, the safety of more than a dozen popular prescription drugs has been examined. In some cases, certain drugs have been recalled following reports of serious injury or death.
The recent recall of numerous popular drugs has resulted in heightened scrutiny of certain blockbuster drugs with hearings before Congress in which at least one FDA researcher suggests that the FDA may be incapable of protecting consumers from unsafe drugs and that several other popular drugs currently on the market may also present unacceptable patient risk. According to a survey by the Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General, about two-thirds of Food & Drug Administration scientists are less than fully confident in the agency's monitoring of the safety of prescription drugs now being sold.
DrugRecalls.com is a consumer resource from product liability lawyers engaged in assisting consumers suffering side effects from pharmaceutical drugs.
Not all drugs referenced on this website have been subject to recall or warning. Patients should never stop taking their medicine without first consulting with their physician.
Written by Drug Recall Lawyer
Lawyer of the Year Award...Through your outstanding leadership and advocacy, you have provided the voice of justice in protecting the basic human rights of your clients."
- California Governor, Gray Davis
"Legal Luminary" - The Wall Street Journal
Drug Recall lawyer Dana Taschner is one of the most respected trial lawyers in the United States. Dana has represented numerous individuals in pharmaceutical cases throughout the United States and founded Drug Recalls to provide helpful news and legal information about significant drug recalls impacting millions of consumers. Dana has provided expert legal analysis on CNN and MSNBC, and has been involved in some of the most significant and challenging legal cases in the United States over the last three decades: See Wall Street Journal article quoting Dana on nationwide consumer lawsuits on July 8, 2011 http://online.wsj.com/article/
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Dana has been involved in many of the most significant and serious Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or manufacturer drug recalls in history, including: Silicone Gel Breast Implants (FDA ban in 1992), Norplant (birth control implant recall), Fen-Phen (diet drugs recalled in September 1997), Rezulin (diabetes drug recalled in March 2000), Sulzer (hip device recalled in 2000), Baycol (cholesterol drug recalled in August 2001), Zyprexa (schizophrenia drug warning of 2004), Ortho Evra (birth control patch recalled in 2004) Avandia (diabetes drug recalled in July 2007), Paxil (SSRI Black Box Warning 2004), and Depuy Recall (hip device recalled in August 2010). Dana represented thousands of consumers adversely affected by these products after serious side effects or deaths were reported in connection to these pharmaceuticals. Dana has filed the first legal claim in the Courts of the United States following FDA or manufacturer recall in certain national recall cases.
"The height of professional excellence…" - Highest national rating from lawyers and judges for skill and integrity.
For twenty consecutive years Dana has been awarded the highest national AV-rating (preeminent) for his legal ability and ethics based on reviews by judges and lawyers. Dana was awarded the American Bar Association's Sole Practitioner of the Year from a field of 400,000 lawyers, and the United States Senate honored Dana with a Senate Tribute, stating, "Taschner has achieved national recognition… Taschner truly brings honor to his profession." The Senate Majority Leader read into the Congressional Record, "Mr. Taschner's devotion to fighting oppression earned him the American Bar Association's Lawyer of the Year award."



halted the use of Celebrex after discovering that "patients taking 400mg to 800mg of Celebrex daily had 2.5 times greater risk of experiencing major heart problems."
Zelnorm - a drug for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) that was recalled due to increased risk of heart attack or stroke.