Legal News Articles - Defective Products

Merck Shuts Down Propecia Website

February 9, 2012. By Lucy Campbell.

New York, NY: On February 8, Merck shut down its website for Propecia (Finasteride), the company's medication for male-pattern baldness. Now, instead of the website, a page appears stating that the website is currently unavailable, which has prompted speculation that new or additional warnings may be on their way regarding the sexual side effects reported with the use of the drug.

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CardioGen-82 Problems Result of User Error

February 8, 2012. By Jane Mundy.

Princeton, NJ: The voluntary CardioGen-82 recall by Bracco Diagnostics Inc. last July and the subsequent FDA alert to health care professionals to stop using CardioGen-82 for cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) scans prompted one Tennessee hospital to test more than 100 cardiac patients for radiation exposure. However, in January 2012, the FDA said the CardioGen-82 problems appear to be the result of user error.

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"Transvaginal Mesh Caused Five Years of Hell for Me, My Husband, My Kids"

February 8, 2012. By Jane Mundy.

Sydney, NS: Leslie was 40 years old in 2007 when she had transvaginal mesh—a TVT sling—implanted. Since that time, she has had at least six MRIs and about a dozen CAT Scans. She has been in and out of the hospital on numerous occasions—including the renal unit for three months—and she couldn't have sex with her husband until last October. "Both my husband and I want to warn women about these transvaginal mesh devices," she says. "I don't think many people realize the devastation this mesh can create."

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Homeopathy Fraud: Take Lipozene with a Grain of Salt

February 7, 2012. By Jane Mundy.

Washington, DC: Some companies practicing Homeopathy Fraud are as sneaky and slick as snake-oil salespeople. Take Lipozene, for example. Its website is rife with referrals about clinical studies endorsed by the Obesity Research Institute. It appears that this "institute" is the manufacturer of Lipozene.

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Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft Off-Label Adds Anger to Injury

February 2, 2012. By Jane Mundy.

Seattle, WA: When Eileen found out that her surgeon used a Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft off-label, she was angry, to say the least. "There was never a discussion that this medical device was even used off-label," she says. "I am now told there is nothing they can do for the pain and I should have a Spinal Cord Implant."

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Zimmer Inc. Earns Profit despite Costs of Zimmer Hip Lawsuits

January 31, 2012. By Gordon Gibb.

Warsaw, IN: While there may still be Americans walking around (if they can even walk) with a problematic Zimmer hip, the company that makes the allegedly defective product appeared to have a banner year in 2011, according to a recent Associated Press (AP) report.

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Kugel Mesh Lawsuits Favor Plaintiffs

January 29, 2012. By Jane Mundy.

Dallas, TX: A Texas woman filed a negligence lawsuit against the maker of Kugel Mesh, Davol Inc. and its parent company C.R. Bard Inc., in August 2011, claiming the defendants failed to adequately and properly test and inspect Kugel Mesh to determine whether it was safe.

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Problems Don't End with Failed DePuy Hip Revision Surgery

January 28, 2012. By Gordon Gibb.

Chattanooga, TN: One aspect of DePuy Hip Replacement and the revision surgeries that often ensue following the premature failure of a hip implant is the dramatically higher risk for dislocation. But you rarely hear about it. In fact, says one attorney close to the issue, a study suggests that hip replacement patients having undergone revision surgery were near four times more likely to suffer a hip dislocation than those patients who have not.

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Bjork Shiley Heart Valve a Ticking Time Bomb for Some

January 25, 2012. By Gordon Gibb.

Miami, FL: It's been some time since the Bjork Shiley heart valve has been in the news, and with good reason—it was way back in 1986 that the Bjork Shiley Convexo-Concave heart valve was forced off the market by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to failures that led to hundreds of deaths. The problematic valve was replaced in some patients, but not in others after the risks for revision surgery was deemed too great.

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Doctors Note Homeopathic Remedies "Seldom Effective"

January 25, 2012. By Charles Benson.

Fairfax, New Zealand: Collodial silver, deer velvet, arnica and an assortment of other treatments classified as homeopathic remedies are a "waste of time and money," and can sometimes be harmful, doctors say.

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