A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, DePuy has come under scrutiny in the past two years for its ASR hip replacement system, which has been found to fail at a rate much higher than expected. According to the FDA, the company released parts and products to doctors without passing them through any required testing or approval process.

Thousands of patients across the world have filed DePuy lawsuits alleging that the company released faulty hip replacements. Complications from failing devices include broken bones, reduced mobility, muscle damage and toxic levels of metal in the blood stream. More than 13% of patients who received the device require revision surgery to fix complications within five years.

Both the Lo/Ovral-28 and norgestrel/ethinyl estradiol birth control packets contain a combination of active contraceptive pills to prevent pregnancy and “sugar pills,” which allow a woman to have her monthly period. Pfizer says that the one million recalled birth control pills may have too few of the contraceptive pills, meaning that a woman may not be receiving enough hormones to prevent her from becoming pregnant.

The recalled birth control pills were marketed by Akrimax Pharmaceuticals and sold under the Akrimax label. Some experts have speculated that Pfizer may be facing lawsuits from women who became pregnant while they were taking the recalled Lo/Ovral-28 or norgestrel/ethinyl estradiol birth control pills.

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997, Propecia is proscribed for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, is also prescribed under the brand name Proscar to treat men with an enlarged prostate.

According to two studies published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, patients taking Propecia may be at an increased risk of developing sexual side effects, including impotence, low libido, erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual arousal, problems with orgasm and decreased sexual satisfaction. In one study, 38% of Propecia users experienced sexual problems after taking the drug.

Researchers also found that the side effects of Propecia could last for years after a patient has stopped taking the drug. Based on these findings, health officials in the UK and Sweden issued warnings about Propecia’s potential for causing sexual side effects. Despite these health alerts, the FDA has not announced plans to issue a similar warning concerning Propecia to patients in the U.S.

Several Propecia lawsuits have already been filed in the US by patients who alleged they developed sexual side effects from using the drug. Class action lawsuits have also been filed on behalf of Propecia users in both the US and Canada.

If you or a loved one used Propecia and developed impotence, erectile dysfunction, low sex drive or other sexual side effects, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit. To receive a free legal consultation, contact the lawyers at Hissey Kientz, LLP by calling toll-free at 1-866-275-4454, or by visiting us online at Propecia Side Effects Lawyers.

The Swedish study observed the birth defect rate for women who used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Paxil and Zoloft while pregnant. Researchers found that a woman who used an SSRI during the latter portion of her pregnancy more than doubled the risk of giving birth to a child with PPHN, a birth defect which causes breathing trouble and potential heart failure due to high blood pressure in the lungs.

Antidepressants such as Paxil and Zoloft have been prescribed heavily in the past decade. The Food and Drug Administration has issued multiple warnings concerning the risk of birth defects among women who use the drugs during pregnancy. In addition to their link with PPHN, SSRIs have also been linked to an increased risk of atrial and septal defects or other heart defects.

Damage caps are a controversial form of tort reform. Texas Governor Rick Perry introduced damage cap legislation in 2003, which limits the amount a judge can award a plaintiff for noneconomic damages to $250,000 from a doctor and $750,000 from a company.

Though designed to reduce the number of marginal cases, attract doctors and lower insurance premiums, rates in Texas have increased and the number of doctors adding practices in Texas is behind the national average. Although doctor insurance rates have declined by as much as 30%, fewer Texas employers are offering insurance to their workers. Employees are paying $779 more than the national average for company-sponsored coverage.

Greenlee began taking Actos for his type II diabetes in 2007. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2010, but didn’t stop taking Actos until 2011, when the Food and Drug Administration released a warning that taking the drug for longer than one year could increase a patient’s risk of bladder cancer.

Takeda issued an Actos recall for the drug in parts of Europe after several studies linked it to a possible 40% increased risk of cancer. Despite the overseas recall, Takeda has not pulled the drug off the market in the United States.

Though often used in everyday products like plastics and rubber, benzene is a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance. Raw benzene exposure has been linked to several severe diseases, including acute myelogenous leukemia.

The benzene is believed to be leaking from an oil refinery along the river. The Environmental Protection Agency found concentration levels up to 2,000 parts per billion at the site of contamination and 480 parts per billion at the South Platte River, well above the national standard of 5 parts per billion.

Crestor (rosuvastatin) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2003 as a cholesterol treatment designed to potentially lower the risk of heart disease in patients taking the drug. Crestor is part of a larger class of cholesterol drugs known as statins, which includes Zocor and Lipitor. Lipitor rose to become the best-selling drug of all time before recently losing its patent protection, as reported by the New York Times.

Recent studies published in The Lancet have linked Crestor to a number of serious and possibly deadly side effects, including cardiomyopathy, kidney problems and diabetes. Researchers with the University of Glasgow and Canterbury Health Laboratories found that Crestor users are more likely to develop diabetes than non-users and could face an increased risk of cardiomyopathy or other heart problems.

According to a warning issued by the FDA, a number of Crestor patients reported that they developed kidney failure after taking the drug. The agency also stated that several research subjects showed early signs of kidney failure during clinical trials for Crestor. The FDA has not announced any plans to recall Crestor based on these findings.

Patients who have developed cardiomyopathy or other heart problems, kidney failure or diabetes after taking Crestor may wish to talk with a lawyer to find out if they are eligible to file a Crestor lawsuit. For more information about whether you may have a case, contact the attorneys at Hissey Kientz, LLP by calling toll-free at 1-866-275-4454, or by filling out the free case evaluation form located on this page.

Coleman developed the rare skin condition after she started taking a new prescription medication. Doctors originally told Coleman’s mother it was a simple allergic reaction, but she had to be rushed to a hospital when sores covered her entire body within 24 hours.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a potentially fatal reaction to a variety of common medications, including ibuprofen and antibiotics. A large number of these cases have been seen in younger patients. Complications from Stevens Johnson Syndrome can lead to loss of skin, internal organ damage, blindness and death.

The damage caps provision to the bill is part of a movement for national “tort reform,” a controversial legal issue which would utilize “loser pays” legislation and other rules to limit the amount of money plaintiffs can be awarded for non-medical costs. These could include aspects such as pain and suffering, loss of life and punitive damages, which exist to deter future malpractice.

Some states have already enacted caps on non-economic damages ranging from $250,000 to $750,000. Lawsuits challenging the legality of damage caps have been filed in several states, including Indiana, Florida and Missouri.