The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has consolidated lawsuits filed around the country against the pharmaceutical company Pfizer under the style In Re Lipitor (Atorvastatin Calcium) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (No. II), No. MDL-2502. The cases involve allegations that the plaintiffs developed type 2 diabetes after…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a “hand-held auto-injector” device for use with known or suspected opioid overdoses. Abuse of opioids, a group of drugs that includes many prescription painkillers, is becoming a serious problem in the U.S., and the FDA claims that opioid overdose has surpassed automobile…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued draft revisions of pharmaceutical industry guidelines regarding “off-label” promotion of drugs. “Off-label” refers to information about uses of a drug that have not been formally approved by the FDA and are not included in its approved labeling. The agency has treated…
The family of a five-year old boy in the Chicago area is claiming that a case of mistaken identity resulted in the boy receiving the wrong medication and suffering a near-fatal reaction with possible long-term health effects. They have filed a negligence lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court seeking $50,000…
Confusion between two similarly-named drugs can be harmful or even fatal if the error is not detected quickly. An error could result from any number of circumstances, such as a pharmacist who misreads a doctor’s handwriting or a nurse who accidentally administers the wrong drug. The U.S. Food and Drug…
A federal court dismissed most of the causes of action in a lawsuit alleging that a generic antibiotic caused a dangerous, potentially-fatal reaction. Wilson v. Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC, No. 1:13-cv-00333, order (D. Id., Dec. 31, 2013). The lawsuit asserted claims under Idaho state law, but the decision is similar to…
A plaintiff claiming that the drug Fosamax caused a painful jaw condition has won a $285,000 verdict against the drug’s manufacturer, Merck. Scheinberg v. Merck & Co., Inc., No. 1:2008-cv-04119 (S.D.N.Y., Feb. 5, 2013). While thousands of lawsuits related to Fosamax are currently pending, this is only the second case…
A study published last year examined the rate at which doctors prescribe antipsychotic medications for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD or ADD. The researchers found a significant increase in the rate of prescriptions in recent years, and psychiatrists may now prescribe antipsychotics for children…
A giant biotechnology company pleaded guilty in December 2012 to a single charge of illegally marketing a drug for uses expressly denied by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thus increasing the risk to patients of medication errors. A years-long investigation by the federal government, reportedly assisted by some…
Fosamax, a drug marketed as a treatment for osteoporosis by the pharmaceutical company Merck, is the subject of a massive amount of nationwide litigation. Many pending lawsuits allege that the drug caused osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a rare degenerative bone condition that can cause severe pain and disfigurement. Federal…