HC issued the warning after data from a 10-year study linked Actos to cancer a little more than half way into the study. In addition to adding the warning, the providence of Ontario placed the drug on the “exceptional access” list, requiring doctors to receive approval before prescribing the drug.

Actos was originally considered to be the safer sister drug of Avandia, which was largely discontinued after being linked to heart disease. However, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that Actos could increase a patient’s risk of bladder cancer by up to 40%.

The settlement comes only a few days after the Food and Drug Administration ordered Bayer to add a warning about the increased risk of potentially fatal blood clots to the labels of Yaz and Yasmin. Researchers have found that an artificial hormone in the birth control pills known as drospirenone may triple the risk of blood clots among women who use drugs such as Yaz or Yasmin.

The FDA compiled an expert panel to make a recommendation on the safety and efficacy of Yaz and Yasmin in 2011. The panel reviewed several reports that found the birth control pills could cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), heart attack or stroke. The panel voted 21-5 to add the blood clot warning to Yaz and Yasmin.

The expert review comes more than a year after two of the most widely-used metal-on-metal hip devices—Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System—were recalled amid concerns that they have higher than expected failure rates. About 13% of patients who receive the device require surgery to fix problems within the first five years.

The panel’s recommendation could lead to new FDA regulations for testing medical devices before they are released. The ASR hip implants were released without going through clinical trials. Johnson & Johnson now faces thousands of DePuy lawsuits alleging that the device failed and caused significant injuries, including broken bones and tissue damage.

The FDA has said that it did not know Johnson & Johnson was selling the Prolift until it submitted a new device, the Prolift M+, for approval in 2007. The company argued the Prolift M+ was exempt from human testing because it was so similar to the earlier Prolift model.

More than 500 transvaginal mesh lawsuits have been filed by patients with a Prolift device alleging that the device was defective and led to injuries. Women in the lawsuits have alleged that they experienced side effects from the device, such as extreme pain, limited mobility and organ prolapse.

One out of every 200 patients who takes Crestor will develop type II diabetes, according to recent data reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. Topol argues that this risk should lead patients to consider reducing dosage of statins such as Crestor or stopping use completely.

The FDA added the increased risk of diabetes—along with possible memory loss—to Crestor’s warning label, a change Topol called “long overdue.” In addition to diabetes and memory loss, Crestor has been linked to an increased risk of cardiomyopathy.

The latest victim was Arnie Gomersall, who died at age 64 after manufacturing railway carriages that contained asbestos for more than 33 years. Gomersall stated that he knew of at least 20 of his friends who died after developing mesothelioma related to asbestos exposure. Cooper believes that the number of asbestos-related deaths at the factory will continue to rise in the coming years.

Asbestos is a carcinogenic material used heavily in construction from the 1940s through the 1970s, and workplace asbestos exposure affects thousands of workers every year. When disturbed, the material releases fibers which, when inhaled, can lodge in the lungs and lead to several severe diseases, including asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Depakote has been linked to an increased risk of severe birth defects by significant margins among women who take the drug during pregnancy. The states allege that although Depakote has only been approved to treat epilepsy, migraine headaches and manic episodes, Abbott promoted the drug for unapproved uses.

The U.S. Justice Department has also filed a lawsuit against Abbott alleging that the company illegally promoted the drug. Four Depakote lawsuits were also filed by Abbott employees between 2007 and 2010 alleging that the company promoted the drug for unapproved uses. Abbott has set aside more than $1.5 billion to settle the claims.

Arkansas accused Johnson & Johnson of concealing the side effects of Risperdal, which can include extreme weight gain, high blood sugar and diabetes. The company was also accused of misleading the state’s Medicare program, causing it to overpay for Risperdal prescriptions.

Previous lawsuits filed by the states of Louisiana and South Carolina results in respective penalties of $258 million and $327 million levied against the company, as well as a settlement of $158 million in Texas. The U.S. Justice Department has also demanded that Johnson & Johnson pay $1.8 billion to resolve additional claims filed over Risperdal.

Yaz and Yasmin contain a type of hormone known as drospirenone (DRSP), which is also found in the drugs Beyaz, Ocella and Loryna. Studies have found that patients taking birth control pills containing DRSP may be up to three times more likely to develop blood clots than users of another birth control brand.

“Evidence has been mounting for years that birth control pills containing drospirenone such as Yaz and Yasmin increase a woman’s risk of blood clots,” says attorney Kathleen McGinn of Hissey Kientz, LLP. “The FDA’s decision to add strong blood clot warnings to these drugs confirms suspicions about the dangers of Yaz and Yasmin compared to other birth control pills.”

The FDA’s warning about Yaz and Yasmin follows the recommendation of an advisory committee, which met in December 2011 to assess the health risks of birth control pills containing DRSP. Based on studies of the blood clot risks of these drugs, the committee voted to recommend stronger warning labels for DRSP birth control pills, including Yaz and Yasmin. This increased blood clot risk could place Yaz and Yasmin users in danger of other serious side effects, including deep vein thrombosis (DVTs), pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke or heart attack.

In 2009, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Yaz and Yasmin, was forced to run a $20 million ad campaign after the FDA accused the company of airing a misleading series of television commercials for Yaz. The agency cited Bayer for promoting Yaz for conditions it was not approved by the FDA to treat and for downplaying the risk of side effects associated with the drug.

More than 10,000 Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits have been filed on behalf of patients who suffered blood clots or other injuries after using the birth control pills. At least four class action lawsuits have also been filed on behalf of Yaz or Yasmin users in the U.S. and Canada. Although settlements have been reached in some of these cases, patients who were injured after taking Yaz or Yasmin may still be eligible to file a lawsuit.

If you or a loved one used Yaz, Yasmin or other birth control pills containing DRSP and suffered blood clot-related injuries, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit. To find out if you qualify, contact the lawyers at Hissey Kientz, LLP by calling us toll-free at 1-866-275-4454, or by email at info@hkllp.com.

For more information about the side effects of Yaz and Yasmin, visit our online information resource at: http://www.yasminyazsideeffectslawyers.com/.

Judge Rodney Gilstrap issued a one-page ruling in which he accepted a previous magistrate judge’s recommendation that the law be ruled constitutional. Trial lawyers and malpractice patients argued that the law unconstitutionally takes away the right of a judge to award plaintiffs based on the merits of the case.

The 2003 law was passed with the goal of lowering medical insurance costs and improving access to healthcare by attracting more doctors to the state. Results have been mixed. More doctors practice in Texas because of their reduced insurance rates, but Texans insurance costs have risen to more than $650 more than the average American family.