Drug Injury Lawyer Blog

Zimmer Holdings, the nation's top artificial joint component manufacturer recently announced that it is re-releasing its Durom Acetabular Cup, a hip replacement part, to doctors again, but only to those who complete special training on its use. This announcement comes after sales of the Durom Cup were suspended by Zimmer in July 2008 after reports that the component was defective and failed to bond in many patients, thereby causing patients to undergo painful revision surgeries. Approximately 12,000 patients had the Zimmer Durom Cup system implanted between 2006 and 2008, and accordingly to Zimmer's own research estimates, almost 8% of the people that received the initial hip replacement required a revision surgery withing a two year period. The high failure rate is caused by the Durom Cup's inability to bond with the host bone, causing the implanted part to loosen and move.

Continue reading " Hip Replacement Failure Due to Defective Durom Cup " »

Billed as the modern alternative to traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes – or “e-cigarettes” – may be harmful after all, according to a recent FDA News Release.

Continue reading " E-Cigarettes May Contain Carcinogens After All " »

Yesterday, July 28, 2009, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory recommending that consumers not use certain over-the-counter products marketed as containing “steroid-like ingredients.”

Continue reading " Body-Building Supplements May Contain Steroids " »

In his July 24 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Bill Wilson, Jr., granted public access to evidence that Wyeth Pharmaceuticals "ghostwrote" medical articles regarding its hormone therapy drug Prempro, which a national study has shown increases a woman's risk of stroke, heart attack, blood clots, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The Arkansas federal judge held that there was no good cause for secrecy and ordered that the documents be made publicly available as of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31.

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The European Association for the Study of Diabetes ("EASD"), which publishes the journal Diabetologia, released new data suggesting that there is a “possible link” between French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis’s Lantus insulin (or insulin glargine) and a higher risk of cancer. Lantus insulin has been widely used since 2000 among diabetes patients who depend on insulin to regulate blood sugar because the injection is needed only once-a-day in lieu of more frequent therapies. Of particular import is that this type of insulin is synthetic, not human insulin. The EASD article suggests that further evaluation of the possible association is necessary but does not purport to recommend that anyone stop taking their insulin.

Continue reading " Lantus Insulin Linked with Increase in Cancer " »