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Has Tylenol had its Day in the Sun?
November 12th, 2009. By janem
Bayer is likely seeing its Tylenol sales drop these past few weeks after the FDA finally took aim at acetaminophen over-the-counter (OTC) products and the media made it headlines.
Many consumers are loyal to certain brands and I’ve taken my fair share of Tylenol over the years, but for me, Tylenol’s had its day in the sun. What’s most disturbing is that the FDA has known since at least 1977 that severe liver damage can occur as a result of acetaminophen overdose. Back then, their advisers recommended explicit warnings not to exceed the dose or take acetaminophen for more than 10 days, but the FDA never took action.
So now the agency is making up for lost time and warning people that taking a few extra Tylenol pills here and there, thinking OTC meds are safe, could result in acetaminophen toxicity. Isn’t that like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted? Since 1977!
And the German drug maker (with HQ in New Jersey) may soon take a dive in profits-there’s a new kid on the block touting a safe alternative to acetaminophen.
BioElectronics Corp. recently completed an acetaminophen comparison study and its results will be announced next Monday, November 16. Their timing is ripe to introduce ActiPatch and Allay, alternatives to Tylenol and other acetaminophen products.
“We believe this is important research especially considering the many health concerns expressed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relative to Tylenol, NSAIDs and other over the counter pain medications,” said Andrew Whelan, CEO of BioElectronics, Corp. ” We look forward to reviewing the full study data and submitting it to FDA in support of our current pending 510(K) applications and additional applications we plan to file in the future.”
In the meantime, no doubt consumers are studying labels on OTC meds more carefully these days, especially after the FDA’s recent announcement about the dangers of acetaminophen overdose in children’s meds. The FDA committee has insisted that all children’s and infant’s acetaminophen products be sold at the same concentration, simplifying dosing instructions. Currently the labels are confusing– there are several different strengths of liquids, chewables, and “Junior” tablets that give dosage instructions by weight and age.
What I find mind-boggling is how Bayer has controlled OTC pain meds for so long while there are safer alternatives.
MoneyGram Scammed Us
November 6th, 2009. By janem
Back in July Pleading Ignorance looked at Moneygram and its involvement, if any, to consumer fraud. We really did plead ignorance because it turns out that Moneygram isn’t the reputable company we believed it to be. Although we weren’t scammed financially as countless unfortunate US consumers were, “The wool got pulled over our eyes”, as the old saying goes.
The FTC recently charged that the second-largest money transfer service in the US allowed its money transfer system to be used by fraudulent telemarketers to bilk consumers out of tens of millions of dollars. And it has to pay the FTC a hefty $18 million to compensate consumers.
That sounds like a lot of dough, but it’s a measly amount to pay back, considering that many consumers likely didn’t report a loss. And a recent FTC survey reported almost 80 percent of all MoneyGram transfers of $1,000 or more from the US to Canada over a four-month period in 2007 were fraud-induced.
And if that’s not enough to make you shake your head, MoneyGram itself received more than 20,600 fraud complaints that cost consumers more than $44 million to cross-border money-transfer frauds between 2004 and 2008 alone. Combine that with losses reported by U.S. consumers on money transfers within the US and that number almost doubles to a whopping $84 million! Cha-ching!
According to the FTC, MoneyGram knew that its network has been used over the last few years by telemarketing scammers to prey on US consumers. And worse, some MoneyGram agents were also scam artists but the money transfer service more or less turned a blind eye. Big mistake: the FTC had MoneyGram in its eagle eye.
This is how the scam works. Con artists prefer to use money transfer services because they can pick up transferred money immediately, the payments are often untraceable, and unknowing consumers can’t do anything about it. Until now, that is.
The FTC has a new Consumer Alert, available on its website, titled “Money Transfers Can Be Risky Business.” And consumers interested in the process of redress administration should call 1-202-326-3755.
Chantix and the Damage Done
October 27th, 2009. By janem
I’ve interviewed many people who’ve taken Chantix to help quit smoking. They talk about the damage it caused, not only to themselves, but their family and friends. All their stories are upsetting but just now I talked with Tim and his account is heart-wrenching.
Tim’s wife died from cancer a few months ago, but his grief is compounded by the fact that he was never able to apologize to her. “Soon after I took Chantix I was so short-tempered; I would get mad at my wife, Judy, for any little thing,” says Tim, his voice breaking. “Now that Judy is dead, I can’t say sorry for being so mean.”
“Judy and I were long-distance truck drivers, we were a team,” Tim explains. “When I got on the Chantix, we argued constantly on the truck. I just thought it was from nicotine withdrawal, but even our friends asked Judy what was wrong with me. Before Chantix, I was happy-go-lucky…
Judy could just move a pop can and I would get irate. And I was mad at myself because I was making her so upset but I had no idea why. Sometimes I’d be driving and forget where I was. I’m talking about driving a semi. It was dangerous. It got so bad that I thought of wrecking the truck more than once, then we would both die. I just kept hurting her…
I saw an ad on TV a few weeks ago that explained how Chantix causes mood swings, suicidal thoughts and aggression. I didn’t read the Chantix warning label because my doctor said, ‘Just go ahead and try Chantix; it’s a new drug and pretty much reliable’. I guess that’s the problem with new drugs-you don’t know the side effects until it’s too late.
If I knew of the Chantix side effects, or if my doctor explained them to me, I wouldn’t have tried it. And I won’t be beating myself up now. And I’m smoking again. I’m really irate at the drug company and I’m so upset just thinking about it, knowing how much I hurt my wife.”
Hospital Infections: Take Matters into Your Own Hands
October 20th, 2009. By janem
Hospital infections are on the rise, for numerous reasons. It’s a no-brainer that hospital cleanliness and low infection rates are selected most often (by 74 percent of patients) as an important factor when choosing a hospital. And you’ll likely want to get out and recover at home sooner than later.
According to healthcare experts in the UK, a second wave of swine flu pandemic could increase hospital admissions, which could lead to a rise in hospital infections, particularly MRSA. The Department of Health advises early discharge of patients from hospital to try and prevent a rise in the killer superbug: research has shown that when a hospital’s bed occupancy rate exceeds 90 per cent, MRSA rates can be as much as 40 per cent above average.
In the US, researchers have found more MRSA infections associated with H1N1 flu.
Two fatal infections occurred recently in Buffalo, NY: the victims, a 9-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, arrived at ER several days after being seen for mild flu symptoms. Both children died of necrotizing pneumonia, one 11 days after being hospitalized and one after 3 days.
Another recent study has shown that hospital workers who see many patients in the course of a day, such as radiologists or physical therapists, may play a disproportionate role in spreading dangerous hospital-acquired infections.
As a patient, you can take some measures, such as safe hand-washing procedures, into your own hands.
“Hospitalized patients shouldn’t be shy about asking the health-care workers who come in contact with them to follow infection control guidelines,” said Dr. Zachary Rubin, an epidemiologist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital in Santa Monica. Some hospitals are more stringent than others: they have signs posted in patient rooms asking “Did your health-care worker wash his hands?” to make patients more aware of the importance of hand washing.
“If a patient is concerned [about lack of hygiene from a health-care worker], he can always talk to the head nurse or charge nurse,” Rubin said, as well as the hospital’s patient advocate or his own physician.
If your concerns aren’t addressed immediately, you might also want to seek legal help.
Hospital Infection Statistics
-
* According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.
* A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report published in March-April 2007 estimated the number of U.S. deaths from healthcare asociated infections in 2002 at 98,987.
* Hospital-acquired infection (HRI) often leads to lengthening hospitalization, increasing the likelihood of readmission, and adding sizably to the cost of care per patient.
* Financially, hospital infections represent an estimated annual impact of $6.7 billion to healthcare facilities, but the human cost is even higher.
And last but definitely not least:
* According to Dr. Mark Chassin, who leads the Joint Commission, the lack of hand-washing contributes to infections linked to hospital care that kill almost 100,000 Americans a year. (In September, The Joint Commission launched the Center for Transforming Healthcare, whose first initiative is tackling hand washing failures that contribute to health care-associated infections.)
Yasmin and Yaz Investors File Lawsuit
October 13th, 2009. By janem
Not only is Bayer likely going to shell out millions of dollars in lawsuits filed by Yasmin and Yaz victims, now its investors are bailing.
It’s bad enough that anyone could suffer serious side effects from Yasmin or Yaz, a drug they thought was harmless, a drug used by thousands and thousands of women to prevent pregnancy. Imagine how furious you would be, knowing that so many women have suffered from this birth control pill, and that you bought into it?
On October 13, yet another lawsuit was filed against Bayer, the maker of Yasmin and Yaz, claiming the company concealed Yasmin and Yaz side effects to boost sales. Bayer has been accused of misleading investors-in this case, two pension funds for firefighters and city employees in Pennsylvania–about the value of the company by concealing the drug’s increased risks of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, gallbladder disease, pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). By hiding the risks of side effects, the company allegedly defrauded investors by falsely estimating the value of the pharmaceutical company and its birth control products.
According to a report by Bloomberg News, there are currently at least 300 Yaz lawsuits or Yasmin lawsuits pending in state or federal courts throughout the US; at least 200 lawsuits over Yaz or Yasmin are consolidated in a federal MDL that is centralized in the Southern District of Illinois; and another 50 cases are consolidated in Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia.
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