DePuy Announces Voluntary Recall Of ASR Hip Replacements
Thursday, September 2, 2010 - 09:49

DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. has announced the voluntary recall of its ASR XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System due to a relatively high percentage of secondary hip surgeries. At least 12 to 13 percent of patients who received either the Acetabular System or the Hip Resurfacing System have required follow-up surgeries and five-year revisions, leading to DePuy’s notification of the recall to the Food and Drug Administration.

David Floyd, President of DePuy Orthopaedics, released a statement regarding this recall, claiming: “We regret that this recall will be concerning for patients, their family members and surgeons. We are committed to assisting patients and health care providers by providing information through multiple channels and paying for the cost of doctor visits, tests and procedures associated with the recall.”

DePuy also announced in 2009 that the ASR devices would be discontinued due to the advanced technology in other competing hip replacement devices, as well as the company’s own advancement efforts.

The Hip Resurfacing System has been available since 2003 for use outside the U.S., whereas the Acetabular System has been in use in the U.S. and worldwide since 2004. Both systems have been highly preferred by surgeons in cases of young patients because of the initially reduced chance of dislocation provided by both devices. However, with the revelation of the percentages of failure, DePuy is urging patients who have received these devices in transplants to make appointments with their physicians to see if follow-up surgeries are necessary. Women who have received the transplants have reportedly been at risk for the highest rate of device failure.

Patients who have received either of these devices in transplant surgeries and have questions about the recall can contact DePuy Monday through Saturday between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST at (888) 627-2677. Patients outside the U.S. can contact DePuy at +1 (813) 287-1651 24 hours a day. DePuy will compensate patients for costs of monitoring and treating problems, as well as surgeries involving their ASR devices.

If you or a loved one has required secondary surgeries or experienced serious side effects or health complications from DePuy’s ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with defective medical equipment. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
 

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Actor's Accutane Lawsuit Delayed In Wake Of Appeal
Friday, August 6, 2010 - 10:08

Yesterday’s revelation that actor James Marshall (A Few Good Men, Gladiator) had filed a lawsuit against Roche Pharmaceuticals because of side effects he claims he suffered as a result of using Accutane has taken a turn, as his case has been delayed. The reason for the pause is because of a New Jersey appeals court decision to overturn a verdict for a $10.5 million settlement from 2008.

Plaintiff Kamie Kendall was awarded the settlement two years ago, after her lawyers successfully argued that Roche had failed to substantially provide information regarding the side effects associated with the once-popular severe nodular acne medication. Kendall developed inflammatory bowel disease, she claimed, from using Accutane. IBD is a serious side effect that has been associated with the drug; however, the appeals court determined that Roche had been wrongfully blocked from providing evidence crucial to the pharmaceutical giant’s defense.

Marshall is similarly seeking $11 million for his own dealings with IBD. The actor had most of his colon removed because of the terrible gastrointestinal disorder, of which he blames Accutane and Roche. But the overturn of the decision for Kendall means that other cases may be reviewed for similar oversight, and future cases may be examined with newer scrutiny. More than 5,000 cases have accumulated against Roche, stemming from patients who have cited side effects including IBD, as well as Chron’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, liver and kidney diseases, and a number of psychological disorders.

Despite the overturned verdict in Kendall’s case, juries and judges have still awarded more than $45 million in settlements to victims of Accutane for the debilitating side effects they have suffered.

If you or a loved one has experienced serious side effects or health complications with Accutane, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with prescription medication. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
 

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Accutane Lawsuit Filed By Actor James Marshall
Thursday, August 5, 2010 - 08:44

Some of Hollywood’s more notable names are turning their focus on the prescription acne medication Accutane, as actor James Marshall has filed a lawsuit against the drug’s makers, Hoffman-LaRoche. Marshall, 43, is claiming that his once-promising acting career was derailed when his use of Accutane led to the removal of his colon. Actors Martin Sheen and Brian Dennehy will testify on his behalf, as will director Rob Reiner, who worked with Marshall in 1992 on the Academy Award-winning film A Few Good Men.

Marshall is seeking more than $11 million in damages from Roche over his bout with inflammatory bowel disease, which has been identified as a very serious side effect of the medication in a growing number of lawsuits. Marshall began acting on television in 1985, but made his big screen breakthrough in 1992 starring alongside Dennehy and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the fighting film Gladiator. His peers believe that his illnesses stemming from IBD held him back from becoming a star.

More than 1,000 lawsuits have been filed against Roche and the many physicians who have prescribed the drug since it was first introduced in 1980s. Plaintiffs are claiming that the drug has caused a variety of serious gastrointestinal disorders, including IBD, Ulcerative Colitis, and Chron’s disease, as well as a variety of liver and kidney illnesses.

While Marshall may be the first well-known victim of Accutane’s side effects, he’s hardly the first. Roche and other defendants have paid out more than $60 million in settlements thus far, and the ever-increasing number of cases in the New Jersey courts almost guarantees that the settlement amount will increase accordingly.

Roche discontinued production and prescription of Accutane in 2009; however, generic versions are still being prescribed and, even worse, Accutane is still being marketed and sold illegally by independent vendors.

If you or a loved one has experienced serious side effects or health complications with Accutane, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with prescription medication. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
 

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Accutane Side Effects Could Be Limited By Lower Dosages

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 - 08:13

Researchers from the Tristam Clinic in New Zealand have been conducting studies on the severe acne prescription medication Accutane to determine if there is a way to reduce the risk of the side effects that have been associated with the drug. Accutane, manufactured by Hoffman-LaRoche, had been the focus of a recent investigation by an independent panel assigned by the Food and Drug Administration. While the FDA eventually determined that a recall was not necessary, it was found that the drug’s dangerous side effects are indeed a cause for concern and, more importantly, further observation.

The result of the Tristam Clinic study was the revelation that smaller doses of the drug could be equally effective in combating severe nodular acne, while reducing the possibility of users suffering side effects like gastrointestinal disorders and Ulcerative Colitis, among others. The study of more than 1,700 patients was published in the Australian Journal of Dermatology, and the results showed that dosages of less than .25 mg showed a smaller risk than a normal dosage.

The most notable side effect examined in the study was cheilitis, or the inflammation of the lips. The smaller dosage caused only 47 percent of the patients to experience symptoms of cheilitis, while 96 percent experienced the inflammation with the standard higher dosage. Various other side effects were also witnessed and further examined during the study as well, with similar results.

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Roche over the harmful, severe side effects associated with Accutane. Most notably, Accutane has been reported as the cause for many cases of inflammatory bowel disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chron’s Disease and a number of other gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, there have been side effects associated with depression and suicidal thoughts.

If you or a loved one has experienced serious side effects or health complications with Accutane, contact Newsome Law Firm (www.newsomelaw.com) and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with prescription medication. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.

 

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