If you are one of the 37,000+ people who have received defective DePuy hip implants and are thinking about joining the rapidly-growing ranks of plaintiffs against this corporation, don't think about it too much longer. Your window of opportunity may be closing soon.
Considering the nightmare stories about anti-diabetic drugs such as Actos and Avandia and the potentially fatal side effects they cause, one wonders if there are any alternatives.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued an opinion today recognizing the problematic complications associated with the use of mesh for pelvic organ prolapse surgery. ACOG opines that pelvic mesh use "should be reserved for high-risk women for whom the benefit may justify the risk." As the scientific community and the FDA is now pointing out, those risks include risks not present in traditional surgical techniques such as mesh erosion and vaginal scarring and shrinkage caused by mesh implants. Further, as pointed out in the ACOG opinion, if mesh is causing co
After the Type 2 diabetic drug Actos was linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer last summer, it was pulled off the shelves in France and Germany. (Of course, it remains available in the US, where the large pharmaceutical corporations have bought and paid for legislators and essentially control the FDA – but the agency has at least required a warning label.)
Those who have been worried about the health consequences of metal-on-metal total hip replacements may have an alternative in the form of hip resurfacing, a technique that has been available since 2006. However, evidence shows that while the technique has several advantages over total hip replacement, it results in the same problems.
In recent years, the most popular and widely-prescribed drugs for the treatment of Type-II diabetes – Avandia and Actos – have been responsible for a number of serious and even deadly side effects, ranging from cardiac arrest to bladder cancer. Although drug makers do not fully understand why these things happen (and with the profit motive, wouldn't care if they knew), you can read a possible explanation here.
In its insatiable quest to maximize its profits – even if people have to sicken and die – it seems there is no limit to how far Big Pharma will go.
A study of over 3000 women with polycystic ovary syndrome found an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, c-section birth, and other issues.
On Friday, October 28, 2011 the Coast Guard Cutter Cypress, which is homeported in Pensacola, Florida, offloaded 7 tons of cocaine at the Coast Guard base in St. Petersburg, Florida. The street value of the cocaine was worth roughly $180 million dollars which is about a third of what law enforcement pulls off the streets in a year in the entire United States. The cocaine came from a single, self-propelled semisubmersible vessel which had been detected and stopped by another Coast Guard Cutter off the coast of Honduras on September 30, 2011.
Since the first lawsuit involving the type-2 diabetic drug Actos was filed near the end of July 2011, 53 additional plaintiffs across the country have come forward – and this may be just the beginning.
Endorsements from celebrities and prominent athletes have always given a big boost to product sales. It's also very lucrative for the endorser, particularly when they are past their prime. Penny Brown, a 51-year-old former gymnast from the U.K., was a paid spokesperson for DePuy's ASR hip plants several years after she received the device herself.
Now, she's having a few regrets as she joins the ranks of those who are suffering the effects brought on by the deterioration of her implant.
Let me preface this with a disclaimer: I am not offering any medical advice here. The information presented here is strictly informational; should the reader be interested in utilizing some of the care options presented, s/he is strongly advised to discuss them with his/her primary care physician or other medical professional (preferably one who is not on the payroll of, or taking money from one of the big pharmaceutical corporations).
Studies question whether the use of anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of miscarriages or birth defects.
The fact that metal-on-metal hip implants such as those manufactured by DePuy and Zimmer are bad news. As these devices wear over time, microscopic bits of toxic metal make their way into the bloodstream, leading to a host of serious ailments.
In its mad rush to maximize profits, Big Pharma will go to great lengths to rush their products to market – then dupe low-information Americans into believing that these products are the only alternative they have for what ails them. They will say this even when low-risk, low-cost alternative treatments such as diet, exercise and lifestyle changes are effective (have you noticed how pharmaceutical ads in recent years often warn patients that "it may not be enough"?)
The Wall Street Journal reports that Merck & Co. has been issued a criminal investigation subpoena by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding how Merck marketed its brain tumor medication, Temodar; its hepatitis C drug, PegIntron; and its cancer treatment, Intron A. In an August 2011 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Merck disclosed the subpoena as part of a “federal health-care investigation under criminal statutes”.
You may recall the story of Hans Brinker, a boy who reportedly lived in the Netherlands a couple of centuries ago – who saved Amsterdam by plugging a leak in one of the dikes with his finger.
A massive vessel used to salvage damaged oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico was docked at the Port of Pensacola on Friday, October 7, 2011. The Versabar 10,000 consists of a pair of 240-foot tall steel gantries attached to a pair of barges. It took five tugs to maneuver and dock the vessel. The vessel is not self propelled and must be towed every where it goes. The vessel is capable of lifting 7,500 Tons from the bottom of the Gulf from a maximum depth of 400 feet.
While the exact cause of autism disorders remains unknown, at least one study has shown that first trimester exposure to anti-depressants may moderately increase the risk of autism. Additionally, a recent study indicates that younger siblings of children with an autism disorder, especially males, run almost a 20% increased risk of a similar diagnosis.
As lawsuits against Actos manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals continue to mount, Glaxo-Smith-Kline (GSK), manufacturer of Avandia, is finding that their problems have gotten even more complicated – and a number of lawsuits that the company had hoped to get dismissed aren't likely to simply "go away."
The U.S. Coast Guard said yesterday they were investigating RJ Diving Ventures Inc., a Miami Beach based boat operator, that Sunday left two scuba divers behind at sea about three miles off Key Biscayne in the Florida Keys.
If you are involved in litigation related to the defective DePuy ASR hip implants – or have been a regular reader of these posts in recent weeks – you have probably noticed the name "Broadspire Services." This is a Florida-based "claims management" company and a subsidiary of global reinsurer Crawford Company, headquartered in Atlanta.
