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• New Warnings Needed for Asthma Medications

  Jamie Sheller | December 01, 2005 12:06 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  The FDA has required new warnings for Advair Diskus, Foradil Aerolizer, and Serevent Diskus asthma medications. The manufacturers must alert health care providers and patients that these medications may increase the chance of severe asthma episodes, and death when those episodes occur. The affected products contain medicines known as long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists (LABA), which help...

• Johnson & Johnson Going Forward With Purchase of Guidant Corp.

  Jamie Sheller | November 16, 2005 8:25 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Though earlier signs indicated that Johnson & Johnson was no longer interested in purchasing Guidant Corporation, the deal is now going forward. However, the purchase price, at $63.08 a share, is lower than the original agreement for J&J to pay $76 a share for Guidant. The original deal appeared to slow to a halt after J&J issued a statement about Guidant regarding safety concerns and...

• Guidant, Medtronic & St. Jude Devices Earn Subpoenas

  Jamie Sheller | November 16, 2005 8:23 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Guidant Corporation, Medtronic and St. Jude Medical, three big makers of implantable heart devices, acknowledged receiving subpoenas from the United States Department of Justice. Apparently, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into possible violations of federal anti-fraud and anti-kickback statutes. Such violations could involve giving illegal payments or other benefits to...

• Federal Guidant Lawsuits Consolidate in MN

  Jamie Sheller | November 14, 2005 2:04 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  On November 7, 2005, cases filed in federal courts around the country against Guidant Corporation, involving their defective heart devices, were transferred to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The transfer was ordered by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The transfer means that those cases will be centralized in one court and coordinated by one...

• Guidant Pacemaker & Defibrillator Recall

  Jamie Sheller | November 11, 2005 1:35 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Imagine knowing that a device that you depend on to save your life might not work when it's supposed to. Now imagine that the people who made that device knew that it might not work when it is supposed to. Many people have recently been faced with that exact situation, when the Guidant Corporation recalled several models of cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers, due to defects that could cause...

• Injuries from Birth Control Patch

  Jamie Sheller | November 11, 2005 1:20 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Another pharmaceutical company is faced with evidence that its product causes injury and death. Ortho McNeil, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson, makes a birth control patch, called Ortho Evra, that has been linked to increased risk of blood clots and death. The manufacturer recently issued a warning regarding these problems with the patch, after evidence mounted that...

• Pa. Court Rejects Patient's Negligent Promotion Claim

  Jamie Sheller | October 28, 2005 11:32 AM | 1 CommentPhiladelphia, PA

  The Pa. Superior Court in Pierce v. Northwstern Human Services, Inc. (Pa. Super Sept.22, 2005) rejected the plaintiff's claims. This tragic case involves a plaintiff, Pierce, who suffers serious psychiatric problems. He was prescribed a medication which, according to the warning label, had to be maintained at proper levels to control his psychotic behavior. The manufacturer of this drug decided...

• FDA Issues Cylert Warning

  Jamie Sheller | October 27, 2005 10:35 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Five months after Abbott Laboratories stopped producing and selling the ADHD drug Cylert, and 10 years after Canada and Great Britain removed the drug from their markets, the FDA announced that doctors should begin transitioning their patients to other ADHD therapies. Cylert has been linked to liver failure and death. Smartmoney.com notes studies showing the liver failure rate among Cylert...

• Don't Lose Your Right To Sue After a Car Accident

  Staff Writer | October 27, 2005 9:15 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  A careless driver hit their car. Their son will take months to fully recover. Yet they can't collect for pain and suffering.Why? They didn't have full tort insurance.Do you? If you don't, you're at risk.You and your family need full insurance protection. What an insurance company may call "full protection" is not always full protection.Insist on full tort: It gives you the unlimited right to...

• Warning for Halloween Candle Holders

  Staff Writer | October 19, 2005 4:23 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Far East Brokers and Consultants, Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., is warning consumers about 48,500 Jack ‘O Lantern buckets containing eight tea lights.In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Far East Brokers and Consultants, Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., is warning consumers about 48,500 Jack...