Injury Law Blog and News » Prescription Drugs

Long Term Use Of Fosamax and Boniva Causes Thigh Bone Fractures, Tennessee Patient Charges in Lawsuit

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:34:29 +0000

Reba Inez Patton of Tennessee spoke about her atypical femur fracture, which may have been caused by Fosamax and Boniva osteoprosis drugs: “When I walk, it is scary because I do not want to fall again. I just want to walk without a cane again and I want to be sure that leg will hold me without a cane.”

Patton and her entire family have suffered from the Fosamax and Boniva prescriptions she has taken since 2001. Patton took Fosamax from 2001 to 2006, and took Boniva from 2006 to 2010. Doctors prescribed Fosamax and Boniva, both bisphosphonate drugs, to slow bone loss and combat Patton’s osteoporosis.

However, long term use of these drugs has actually been found to cause brittle bones and to increase the risk of atypical bone fractures. On December 10, 2010, Patton suffered a subtrochanteric femoral fracture while walking up steps. This aptypical femur fracture has been devasting for Patton and her family. Patton noted, “My husband now does a lot of the work I used to do. The accident changed a good part of my life; it put a lot of extra burden on my family.”

Lieff Cabraser attorney Kent Klaudt announced that Reba Patton and her husband Patrick Patton have filed a lawsuit against Fosamax manufacturer Merck&Co., and against Boniva manufacturer GlaxoSmithKine, LLC. Klaudt said, “Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, as alleged in the complaint, concealed and continue to conceal their knowledge of bisphosphonates’ lack of long-term benefits and dangers to Mrs. Patton and other patients.”

To learn more about Fosamax, Boniva and other bisphosphonate drugs, as well as victims’ rights, visit our Bone Drugs and Femur Fractures information page.

College Student Who Died From Prescribed Yaz Profiled by CBS Early Show

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:48:51 +0000

The CBS Early Show interviewed Joan Cummins, the mother of Michelle Pfleger who died last year while walking to her morning class at college. Cummins has filed a lawsuit against Bayer charging that its birth control drug Yaz, which Michelle was prescribed for the treatment of acne, caused the blood clot that killed her.

Photo: Yaz Birth Control

Click here to watch the TV report: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7368159n

The symptoms of blood clots include persistent leg pain, severe chest pain, or sudden shortness of breath. The FDA advises that patients contact their healthcare professional immediately if they develop any of these symptoms. Furthermore, if you smoke and are over 35 years of age, the FDA advises that not take combination oral contraceptives because they increase the risk that you could experience serious cardiovascular events, including blood clots.

Contact Lieff Cabraser

If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or a loved one died after taking Yaz, or similar drugs Yasmin and Ocella, please read Lieff Cabraser’s Yaz birth control side effects FAQ webpage to learn more about your legal rights and submit a complaint.

Trademark Notice

Yaz and Yasmin are registered trademarks of Bayer Schering Pharma Aktiengesellschaft. Ocella is a registered trademark of Barr Laboratories, Inc. The use of these trademarks is solely for informational and product identification purposes.

Fosamax Problems and Side Effect Video Update

admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:15:32 +0000

The prescription drug Fosamax is used to slow bone loss associated with osteoporosis. New research, however, indicates that long-term use of these drugs may actually increase the risk of certain fractures in the femur, the thick bone of the thigh.

Video: Attorney Wendy Fleishman Discusses Fosamax and Alleged Side Effects

Lieff Cabraser attorney Wendy Fleishman summarizes these studies and describes the legal option for patients that experience atypical femur fracture after use of Fosamax and other bone loss drugs.

If you or a family member have suffered femur fractures after being prescribed Fosamax, you may be eligible to file a claim. Please click here to contact a Fosamax injury attorney at Lieff Cabraser to discuss your legal rights at no cost or obligation, or call attorney Heather A. Foster toll-free at 1.800.541.7358.

FDA Expands Safety Review of Yaz, Gianvi, Yasmin, Ocella and other Birth Control Drugs

admin — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:05:43 +0000

As part of its ongoing safety assessment of birth control pills, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on May 31, 2011, that is reviewing two newly published studies on the risk of blood clots in women who use birth control pills that contain drospirenone. The brand names of drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives include Yaz (generics Gianvi and Loryna), Yasmin (generics Ocella, Syeda, and Zarah), Beyaz, and Safyral.

Drospirenone is a type of female sex hormone called a progestin. Most birth control pills contain two types of hormones–estrogen and progestin.

While all birth control pills pose a risk of blood clots, the new studies found that the risk of blood clots for women who use birth control pills containing drospirenone is higher than that for women who use birth control pills containing the progestin levonorgestrel found in earlier generation oral contraceptives. This risk is reported to be up to 2 to 3 times greater than the risk of VTE associated with using levonorgestrel-containing pills.

Video: Attorney Wendy Fleishman Discusses Birth Control Side Effects & Litigation

Contact Lieff Cabraser

Trademark Notice

Yaz Birth Control Pill Dangers: Death of 18-year College Student Leads to Yaz Lawsuit

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 21:44:28 +0000

Last September, Michelle Pfleger was walking to her morning class at Elon University in North Carolina when she suddenly collapsed. Michelle was taken to a nearby hospital, but despite the efforts of the medical professionals, she died. The autopsy report showed that Michelle died from cardiac arrest triggered by a pulmonary emboli, which is a blood clot in the lungs that can lead to abnormally low blood pressure and sudden death. Michelle was prescribed Yaz for the treatment of acne.

“One day she was a freshman at college so full of hope and promise and the next she was gone,” said Michelle’s mother, Joan Cummins on the date she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bayer, the manufacturer of Yaz. “I can only hope that by publicizing what happened to Michelle, I can keep another family from having to go through this.”

Photo: Michelle Pfleger

The lawsuit follows the publication in the British Medical Journal in April 2011 of two studies finding that women taking oral contraceptives with the hormone drospirenone, which includes Bayer’s Yaz and Yasmin, have a three-fold or two-fold increased risk of developing serious blood clots than women taking earlier-generation oral contraceptives that do not contain drospirenone. In one study, the risk of blood clots in the veins and the lungs was more than three times greater for women prescribed contraceptives containing drospirenone.

Contact Lieff Cabraser

If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or a loved one died after taking Yaz, or similar drugs Yasmin and Ocella, please read Lieff Cabraser’s Yaz side effects FAQ webpage to learn more about your legal rights and submit a complaint.

Photo: Yaz Birth Control

Update June 2, 2011

The CBS Early Show interviewed Joan Cummins and profiled the risks of Yaz.

Trademark Notice

Fosamax and Other Osteoporosis Drugs: New Study on Risk of Thigh Bone Fractures

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 22:31:33 +0000

In a study published on May 4, 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates, such as Actonel, Boniva, and Fosamax, show a statistically significant, several-fold increased risk of atypical femur fracture for less than a year of use, and a particularly high (50x) risk after 1.9 years of use.

In an earlier study published in February 2011 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, long-term use of bisphosphonates was also associated with an increased risk of rare femur fractures.

Lieff Cabraser represents patients injured by prescription drugs with dangerous undisclosed side effects. Learn more about osteoporosis bone drug lawsuits.

Yaz, Yasmin: Medical Evidence of Greater Danger of Blood Clots Mounts

admin — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 05:56:03 +0000

Two new studies show that women who take birth control pills with the newer hormone drospirenone, including Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Yasmin and Yaz, have a higher risk of developing potentially serious blood clots than women who take oral contraceptives containing the older hormone levonorgestrel.

In one study, women who took the oral contraceptives Yasmin, Ocella, Gianvi, and Zarah (all of which contain drospirenone) had a threefold increased risk of non-fatal venous thromboembolisms (blood clots in the veins and the lungs) compared to women who took the oral contraceptives Jolessa, LoSeasonique, Quasense, Seasonale, and Seasonique (which do not contain drospirenone and are earlier-generation birth control pills).

The studies were published in the extremely well-respected British Medical Journal and involved U.S. and U.K. women who used oral contraceptives.

“These findings contribute to emerging evidence that the combined oral contraceptive containing drospirenone carries a higher risk of venous thromboembolism [blood clots] than do formulations containing levonorgestrel,” the authors of the studies said.

Lieff Cabraser represents women across America who developed blood clots, and the families of loved ones who died. Learn more about Yaz lawsuits and read our answers to frequently asked questions on Yaz side effects.

Long-Term Use of Osteoporosis Drugs and Increased Risk of Fractures

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:24:14 +0000

On February 23, 2011, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study finding that long-term treatment with a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis actually increases the risk of rare femur fractures by three times compared to women prescribed the bone drug for less than 100 days. Long-term treatment in the study was defined as continuous use for more than five years.

The researchers concluded:

In summary, our findings provide strong evidence that prolonged bisphosphonate therapy is associated with an increased risk of subtrochanteric or femoral shaft fracture, although the absolute risk of these fractures is low. These findings also highlight the need for a thoughtful assessment of individual risk of fracture when considering extended bisphosphonate therapy and that long-term use of these drugs may warrant reconsideration, especially in patients at relatively low risk of fracture. It may be appropriate to consider a drug holiday for selected patients, particularly as the cumulative duration of bisphosphonate therapy surpasses 5 years.

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration warned patients that bisphosphonates approved for osteoporosis treatment may pose the risk of a rare type of thigh bone (femur) fracture, particularly with patients who have taken Fosamax and/or other bisphosphonates for several years.

The FDA warning applies to:

oral bisphosphonates such as Actonel, Actonel with Calcium, Atelvia, Boniva, Fosamax, Fosamax Plus D, and their generic products; and
injectable bisphosphonates such as Boniva and Reclast and their generic products.

Lieff Cabraser represents patients injured by prescription drugs with dangerous undisclosed side effects. Learn more about bone drug (including Fosamax) lawsuits.

Frequent Use of Over-the-Counter Painkillers Poses Serious Health Dangers

admin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:38:37 +0000

As reported by the L.A. Times, over-the-counter painkillers pose serious health risks when used in excess.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states more than 50% of patients do not take over-the-counter medication as directed. Research confirms that overdosing on over-the-counter painkillers may lead to organ failure, strokes, and even death.

Consumers that frequently and repeatedly take painkillers are urged to reexamine their behavior and talk to a doctor to avoid potential danger.

Lieff Cabraser currently represents patients who have suffered health injuries from popular over-the-counter drugs. Patients are welcome to contact an attorney to discuss your legal rights at no cost or obligation.

Pain Killers & Liver Failure: FDA Restricts Acetaminophen in Some Products

admin — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:11:37 +0000

The Wall Street Journal reported that federal health regulators are restricting the amount of acetaminophen in prescription painkillers such as Vicodin, over the concern of a possible link between those medicines and thousands of cases of liver damage.

Acetaminophen is a widely used pain reliever found in many popular over-the-counter medicines such as Tylenol and Nyquil, which treat headaches, sore throats, fevers and muscle aches.

The Food & Drug Administration will ask manufacturers to limit acetaminophen used in combination prescription drugs to 325 milligrams per capsule. The agency is also asking drug makers to strengthen their warnings about severe liver damage on the labels of the prescription medicines.

FDA’s action follows publication of studies showing that acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., recording more than 50,000 emergency room visits and 200 deaths. Regulators estimate that over half of these annual deaths are linked to the prescription drug combinations that use acetaminophen.