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Hearing Scheduled On Imprelis Notification

August 31, 2011 By

DuPont is taking heat again over its handling of the now-banned Imprelis herbicide. handled A broadleaf herbicide originally touted as safe for other plants, Imprelis has been linked to a growing number of tree deaths and damages, especially evergreens.

Arguments are scheduled for September 20th in U.S. District Court in Delaware. concerning a motion to mandate DuPont advise property owners and lawn care professionals who purchased Imprelis and what they need to do to ensure appropriate preservation of tree damage evidence, according to  the Miami Herald. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Imprelis, Toxic Substances

Push for Transvaginal Mesh Recall Resisted by Industry

August 31, 2011 By

Ralph Nader’s consumer group Public Citizen is urging the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to recall transvaginal mesh medical devices used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP). In a recent petition to the agency, the group describes transvaginal mesh devices as offering “no significant benefits but expose patients to serious risks and the potential for permanent life-altering harm.”

Transvaginal mesh devices are used to repair pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, explained MinnPost; however, complications include vaginal mesh erosion, pain, urinary problems, and bleeding, according to the FDA. From 2008 through 2010, seven deaths associated with POP repairs were reported, said MinnPost. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Defective Medical Devices, Transvaginal mesh

Fracking Earthquake Risks Just Coming to Light

August 30, 2011 By

The two recent 5.3 and 5.8 magnitude  earthquakes that made headlines last week are adding to the controversy surrounding  hydraulic fracturing—fracking. Both earthquakes occurred in unlikely earthquake areas—southern Colorado and Virginia—and were the subject of speculation that fracking might be tthe cause.

Fracking, however,  has been ruled out as a possible cause of the Virginia tremblor, as no drilling activities are taking place near its epicenter. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hydraulic Fracturing "Fracking"

Momentum Building in DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant MDL

August 26, 2011 By

Over 300 personal injury lawsuits have been filed in federal courts nationwide, accusing Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics unit of neglecting to warn patients about design defects in its DePuy Pinnacle hip implant device. The lawsuits have been consolidated in a federal court in Texas before Judge Kinkeade, who is set to make a leadership decision in the multi-district litigation (MDL) said Thomson Reuters’ News and Insights.

Judge Kinkeade has asked law firms interested in positions on the plaintiffs’ steering committee to submit to a long list of questions, and he may even interview candidates, Reuters said.  It is the responsibility of plaintiffs’ steering committee  to, among other things, conduct all pretrial discovery, prepare and examine witnesses, act as a spokesperson for all plaintiffs at pretrial proceedings, and negotiate with defendants on the litigation. [Read more...]

Filed Under: DePuy Hip Implants

High Doses of Celexa Tied to Abnormal Heart Rhythms

August 25, 2011 By

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just issued a notification to healthcare professionals and patients concerning the antidepressant Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide). The agency writes that Celexa should not be used at doses greater than 40 mg daily due over links to abnormal changes that occur in the heart’s electrical activity.

These changes are described as prolongation of the QT interval of the electrocardiogram [ECG] and Torsade de Pointes (TdP). QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes are types of abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to sudden death. According to the FDA, patients at particular risk for developing prolongation of the QT interval include those with underlying heart conditions and those predisposed to low blood levels of potassium and magnesium. Because Celexa causes dose-dependent QT interval prolongation, it should, specifically, not be used in patients with congenital long QT syndrome. Patients with congestive heart failure, bradyarrhythmias, or predisposition to hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia because of concomitant illness or drugs, are at higher risk of developing Torsade de Pointes. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Defective Drugs
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