Recent Drug Recalls

Design1 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:25:23 +0000

So far this year, drug recalls have been issued for over a dozen different products. Pfizer’s recall of one million packets of birth control pills and Glenmark Generics’ recall of seven lots of birth control pills are perhaps two of the most notable. Each year in the United States, manufacturers either voluntarily or by order of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall dozens of dangerous and defective products. Unfortunately, drug recalls often come after patients have already suffered serious injuries or death because of a defective product. Consumers harmed by dangerous and defective drugs may be entitled to financial compensation from the manufacturer, and an experienced Orlando injury attorney can help them get it.

Drug Recalls in 2012

Below is a list of drug recalls the FDA reports as issued so far this year:

Jan. 10: Bedford Laboratories recalled certain lots of Polymyxin B and Vecuronium Bromide injections after visible glass particles were discovered in some of the vials
Jan. 19: Perfect Image Solutions recalled men’s and women’s hair regrowth products after the FDA deemed them “unapproved new drugs” that potentially present health hazards to consumers
Jan. 27: Cephalon recalled Treanda injections after glass fragments were found in a vial
Jan. 27: Johnson & Johnson recalled one lot of Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion after a test indicated common bacteria specifications were exceeded in that lot
Jan. 28: Novartis Consumer Health recalled certain Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention bottles due to the possibility of stray tablets, capsules or caplets from other Novartis products and/or broken or chipped tablets
Jan. 31: Pfizer recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 and 14 lots of generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl tablets over concerns that some birth control blister packs may have had too many or too few active hormone tablets or contained pills that were out of sequence
Feb. 9: Wholistic Herbs recalled all quantities of Koff & Kold spray and Kold Sore spray distributed from March 2009 through February 2012 due to sterility issues
Feb. 10: Regeneca recalled RegenArouse after the FDA confirmed the presence of Tadalafil and deemed the product an “unapproved new drug” that could pose a serious risk to people also taking nitrates
Feb. 16: Bedford Laboratories recalled three lots of Cytarabine injections due to concerns about sterility assurance
Feb. 17: McNeil Consumer Healthcare recalled seven lots (approximately 547,000 bottles) of Infants’ Tylenol Oral Suspension 1 oz. Grape after receiving reports of consumers having difficulty using the dosing syringe
Feb. 22: American Regent recalled one lot of Phenylephrine HCl injections after visible particles were found in sample vials
Feb. 24: Glenmark Generics recalled seven lots of Norgestimate and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets due to packaging issues that caused some blister packs to be rotated 180 degrees, thus reversing the order of the birth control pills
Feb. 24: Regeneca recalled all lots of RegenErect after the presence of Tadalafil was confirmed and the product was deemed an “approved new drug” that could pose a serious risk to people also taking nitrates
Mar. 9: Brilliant Blue G compounded at Franck’s Lab was recalled due to reports of patients experiencing fungal eye infections
Apr. 2: American Regent recalled three lots of Cyanocobalamin injections because cracks can form in the sides and bottoms of some vials

If you or a loved one suffered harm because of any defective product — recalled or not — contact a qualified Orlando injury lawyer today to learn about your legal rights.

The Dangers of Delayed Diagnosis

design3 — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:12:08 +0000

Though we may like to believe medical mistakes never happen, they can and they do. Sometimes mistakes are the result of negligence or wrongdoing on the part of a doctor, nurse or hospital, in which case the victim may be entitled to compensation under medical malpractice law. Delay in diagnosis is one type of medical error that can have devastating consequences, including unnecessary complications or premature death. In cases of delayed diagnosis, an experienced Orlando injury attorney can protect the patient’s rights, or if the delay resulted in the patient’s untimely death, pursue a wrongful death claim on behalf of the victim’s family.

Delays in Diagnosing Lung Cancer

In an article recently published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease, authors Peter M. Ellis and Rachel Vandermeer concluded that lung cancer patients experience “substantial delays” between when they develop symptoms and when they begin treatment. They recommend that awareness about lung cancer symptoms be promoted and that “rapid assessment clinics for patients with suspected lung cancers” be developed and evaluated. Moreover, research in the United Kingdom published in 2001 found that out of 28 lung cancer patients, 14 had abnormalities missed in early x-rays. Given the survival rates for lung cancer—70 percent to 80 percent for Stage 0, 50 percent for Stage 1, 30 percent for Stage 2, 15 percent for Stage 3, and less than 2 percent for Stage 4—catching lung cancer early can significantly increase a patient’s chances for survival.

A knowledgeable Orlando injury lawyer can determine if the delay in diagnosing your lung cancer may have been the result of medical malpractice.

Delays in Diagnosing Pancreatic Cancer

According to research presented at the 2009 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, it is not uncommon for pancreatic cancer patients to experience a delay in diagnosis of six or more months after they start showing symptoms. Any delay in diagnosing pancreatic cancer, which has the lowest survival rate of all major cancers, can adversely affect a patient’s prognosis.

If you experienced a delay in receiving your pancreatic cancer diagnosis, a qualified Orlando injury attorney can help.

Delays in Diagnosing HIV

Research shows that approximately one-third of patients diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed late enough that their illness progresses to AIDS within one year. Treatment with antiretroviral therapy helps prevent HIV from advancing to AIDS, making it important for patients to be diagnosed with HIV early on. Moreover, recent research by the National Institutes of Health indicates that HIV therapy cuts the risk of transmitting the disease to a sexual partner by 96 percent. Therefore, early diagnosis of HIV is important not only for patients, but also for their sexual partners. Doctors are supposed to rule out the most severe possibilities first when attempting to diagnose a patient, and if your HIV diagnosis was delayed by negligence or wrongdoing, you may have a medical malpractice claim.