Latest News
New Jersey jury awards $13.5M in long-term Vioxx case
A jury in Atlantic City, New Jersey has ruled that Merck must pay $9 million in punitive damages, plus $4.5 million in compensatory damages, to a 77-year-old heart attack victim who blamed his health problems on the company’s now-banned painkiller Vioxx.
Staten Island jury awards $1.3M in Erb’s palsy case
A medical malpractice suit in Staten Island, New York was resolved yesterday when a jury awarded $1.3 million to the parents of a 6-year-old girl who suffered a birth defect.
FDA advisers issue warning about Vioxx, Celebrex, Bextra
After three days of discussion, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel decided that the popular COX-2 inhibitors Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra all carry serious risks of heart attack and stroke, and recommended that they get “black-box” warnings. The panel did not, however, recommend that the drugs be recalled from the market.
Oversight on railroad crossing safety projects has deadly results
Most of the United States’ 150,000 railroad crossings have no warning lights or gates. But that has been changing in recent years because, according to safety experts, warning lights and gates are the main reason for a decline in railroad crossing accident deaths. Nearly $2 billion has been spent since 1973 to make railroad crossings safer, preventing these train accidents.
Pfizer admits 1999 trial showed Celebrex dangers
Pfizer Inc. has revealed that a 1999 clinical trial found that elderly patients taking its popular arthritis and pain medicine Celebrex were far more likely to suffer heart problems than those taking a placebo.
Limit needed on asbestos lawsuits, Bush says
President George W. Bush, wading into a decades-long debate, has called for a cap on asbestos lawsuits. He contends that too many frivolous cases have clogged the courts, unjustly bankrupted companies and kept legitimate victims of asbestos from getting compensation they deserve.
FDA, Merck criticized for missing ‘red flags’
Harsh criticism abounded last week in the Senate Finance Committee about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s role regarding Merck’s painkiller Vioxx, adding Congressional pressure for a drug safety division with independent authority to act on safety concerns about FDA-approved drugs.
Study warns of Bextra heart attack risk
A study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association has found that the arthritis drug Bextra more than doubles patients’ risk of heart attack and stroke. Bextra, along with Vioxx and Celebrex, is one of a class of pain medicines called COX-2 drugs, touted as being safer on the stomach than older pain relievers.
Pfizer warns of heart, skin risks with Bextra
The maker of the arthritis drug Bextra has announced the results of two trials that point to an increased cardiovascular risk for patients taking it. The trials found that patients who were given the drug after high-risk heart surgery were likely to develop cardiovascular complications.
Chemical exposure and children being studied in Florida
Government researchers, along with the American Chemistry Council, have begun a project to determine how children are exposed to pesticides and other chemicals in their homes. The chemicals being measured include pesticides, flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals.