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- Serevent, Advair, Foradil & Symbicort Asthma Inhalers
- 1) FDA issues Safety Alert on AVANDIA® Diabetes Medication
- FDA Release
- 2) Bard® Composix® Kugel® Hernia Patch Recall
- FDA Release
- 3) FDA Warns of Birth Defects with Paxil®
- FDA Release
- 4) Paxil® Can Increase Suicidal Behavior
- FDA Release
- 5) September 2006 Ortho Evra® Safety Alert
- FDA Release
- 6) FDA Adds Boxed Warning for Heart-related Risks to Anti-Diabetes Drug Avandia
- FDA Release
- 7) Medical Device Recalls Class I Recall: Certain Medtronic LIFEPAK 500 Automated External Defibrillators
- FDA Release
- 8) Public Health Advisory
Gadolinium-containing Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Omniscan, OptiMARK, Magnevist, ProHance, and MultiHance - FDA Release
- Defective Medical Devices
Dangerous Drugs / Defective Medical Devices
Individuals have every right to expect that the medication they take has been properly manufactured and labeled. Drug companies are required to print warnings labels on their products listing any complications that could arise from their use. However, defective drugs may put some people at extra risk for serious harm or even death. A defective drug is one whose positive health benefits are outweighed by negative side effects. Manufacturers may be unaware of the full extent of side effects, or they may issue inadequate warnings despite knowing the severity of potential outcomes. Either way, drug companies can be held accountable. If you’ve been harmed by any of the following medications/products, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
- Digitek
- Heparin
- Avandia
- Asthma Inhalers
- Fentanyl Patch
- Bard® Composix® Kugel® Mesh Hernia Patch
- Byetta
- Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella
Digitek
In April 2008, Actavis Totowa, LLC issued a voluntary Class 1 recall of Digitek, or digoxin tablets, manufactured under a Bertek or UDL label. These tablets may have contained twice the level of the active ingredient than a normal dosage and could be very dangerous if ingested. Digitek is used to treat patients who suffer from heart conditions and if given the defective dosage these patients could be at risk for digitalis toxicity. Individuals who may have received the defective dosage may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability, or bradycardia.
Heparin
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently identified an unknown contaminant in the blood thinner, Heparin that causes allergic or hypersensitivity-type reactions. In February 2008, the company that produces Heparin, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, issued a voluntary recall of single-dose and multi-dose vials, as well as HEP-LOCK heparin flush products. Later that month, they recalled all Heparin sodium injection products. Patients who have been injected with Heparin may have experienced symptoms such as low blood pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Avandia
In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required drug makers, Glaxo Smith Kline, to add a black box warning on the label of the type II diabetes medication, Avandia (generic name rosiglitazone maleate). It was discovered that taking the medication put patients at a greater risk for many problems such as Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, liver toxicity, severe allergic reactions and stokes. Later that year, the FDA added to the already existing label about increased risk for heart attacks in patients that took Avandia.
Asthma Inhalers
In 2008, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials warned about the dangers of certain long-acting beta agonist (LABA) inhalers. These inhalers are Advair, Serevent, Foradil and Symbicort and they are prescribed to help avoid inflammation of airways in the lungs and help prevent asthma attacks. Due to the long-lasting nature of these inhalers, the airways are kept open longer than usual. This could potentially cause more severe asthma attacks leading to hospitalization, intubation and even death. This risk is significantly greater in children under 12 and African–Americans. Despite the dangers, these products are still on the market and available for `doctors to prescribe them to you or someone you know.
Fentanyl Pain Patch
In 2008, Activis recalled all the Fentanyl Patches in the United States after their initial warning in 2005. Fentanyl Patches are prescribed to people with chronic or debilitating pain to release a constant, powerful dose of narcotic pain medication. Activis had issued approximately 400,000 defective patches where the drug leaked excessively into the skin causing people to overdose on the narcotic which can result in fatal respiratory or cardiac arrest and other serious physical reactions.
Byetta
In November 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved revisions to the drug label for Byetta, an injection drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, to include information on reports of the drug causing kidney failure and other kidney problems. The FDA had previously required the makers of Byetta, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to inform healthcare professionals and update the drug label with information regarding reports of Byetta causing acute pancreatitis resulting in hospitalization and even death.
Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella
Blount & Blount, P.C.
1420 Suite A
East Arlington Blvd.
Greenville, NC 27858
Toll Free: 1.800.851.1818
Fax: 252.752.2174