Drugs/Medical Legal News Articles & Interviews

Washington, DC Emery Pharma, a California-based testing laboratory has reported that Zantac appears to produce unacceptably high levels of cancer-causing N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) when exposed to heat for as little as five days. Brief periods of modestly inadequate temperature control can easily occur during transport, storage or even in consumer’s home. These findings have sparked new calls for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall of Zantac and related generic drugs and will likely fuel class action Zantac cancer lawsuits (ZANTAC) already underway.

Santa Clara, CA Since the FDA last September reported that minute amounts of a carcinogen called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was detected in Zantac, along with several other heartburn medications, a number of Zantac cancer lawsuits have followed.

Santa Clara, CA Since the small pharmacy Valisure waved the red flag over Zantac cancer risk, over 40 countries worldwide have stopped sales and/or began investigating the possible health risks of the heartburn drug. And Zantac lawsuits have followed. Now the FDA says it is “investigating”.

Santa Clara, CA As more pharmaceutical companies are hit with Zantac cancer lawsuits, they are recalling the acid reflux medication in the U.S. and Canada over complaints of a link to a probable carcinogen called called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a chemical that has already been found in animals.

Philadelphia, PA: One of thousands of Risperdal cases pending in the Philadelphia court system has resulted in a whopping $8 billion in damages awarded to a single plaintiff who claimed he developed breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia. Plaintiff Nicholas Murray’s lawyers told the jury following the verdict that, “Johnson and Johnson is a company which has lost its way.”

Fort Saskatchewan, AB: How can a heavy metal accumulate in the brain but not be considered harmful? After undergoing seven MRI scans, all with injections of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA), Wanda Milley experienced the same gadolinium contrast dye side effects that many other patients have suffered, and have subsequently filed gadolinium lawsuits.

Atlanta, GA Judge Richard W. Story has now identified ten bellwether Ethicon Physiomesh lawsuits that will likely shape the multidistrict litigation pending in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia. Trials in these hernia mesh lawsuits are now scheduled to begin in April 2020. But there will be plenty to watch even before opening statements begin.

Buffalo, NY: Many reports of adverse side events associated with gadolinium contrast dye, along with recent data showing that gadolinium deposits in the brain and other organs have spurred researchers to find imaging approaches that don’t need gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs).

Washington, DC:The drug manufacturer Gilead announced in May that it was making an annual donation of 2.4 million bottles of Truvada that is prescribed as a prophylactic to prevent the spread of HIV, also known as PrEP. Some lawmakers, however, suspect that the donation comes with strings attached.

Washington, DC: The FDA in December 2017 recommended that repeated use of MRIs with gadolinium contrast dye be minimized wherever possible, and when MRIs are taken closely together in particular. It’s like a Catch-22: an MRI can detect cancer but it can also pose certain risks -- is it better to be safe than sorry?