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Archive for the ‘ drug injury ’ Category

Nov

Researchers Warn Of Negative Drug Interactions With Grapefruits

November 27, 2012

For people who take certain medications, eating grapefruit could lead to adverse health events and possibly death.

An article published recently in The Baltimore Sun stated that while the danger of negative medication interactions with eating grapefruits has been a known fact for nearly 20 years, it wasn’t until this past week that researchers announced the number of drugs that interact negatively with the citrus fruit jumped from 17 to 43 over the last four years.

The problem comes when a chemical in the fruit, called Furanocoumarins, bonds to and disables an enzyme in the body that is essential to breaking down certain drugs. With the enzyme unable to metabolize the drug, active ingredients in medications can stay in the body too long. This can lead to patients suffering from drug injuries that could include kidney failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, and potentially death.

Medications that could result in these interactions not only include some cholesterol controlling drugs, but now also certain cancer and heart drugs. Experts say ingesting as little as a single piece of fruit or seven ounces of grapefruit juice could be enough to cause a drug injury.

The Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo urge anyone who is taking a prescription medication to do research as well as consult your doctors as to whether or not a medication you have been given could be affected by the food you eat.

Nov

Lawsuits Filed In Connection To Maryland Hepatitis C Exposure

November 6, 2012

Seventeen people have filed personal injury lawsuits against a Columbia, Maryland, staffing agency on the grounds it was negligent in hiring and placing a medical technician who went on to expose an undetermined number of patients to Hepatitis C. The Baltimore Sun reports the exposures occurred over a four-year-period at hospitals across the country.

Court documents show that Maxim Staffing Solutions hired the technician in March 2008. Two months later, he was caught taking a syringe of Fentanyl, a powerful narcotic painkiller, and replacing it with another syringe filled with another liquid. He later admitted to taking the drugs and replacing them with syringes he had previously used.

When searched, other syringes were found in the man’s possession and drugs were found in his system upon testing; however, despite firing the man, the hospital did not report the violations to authorities. The man was then able to find work and commit similar crimes at 10 hospitals in eight states, including Maryland, over the next four years.

Several Maryland Drug Injury lawsuits, filed after patients discovered they had received contaminated injections, alleged the hospitals failed to not only protect patients’ health, but failed to notify them when it had been compromised.

The Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers at ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers are here to answer any questions you may have regarding your legal rights if you have been injured or sickened by a prescribed medication.

Jun

FDA Says Drug Maker Hid Safety Risks Of Diabetes Medications

June 26, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it had discovered drug manufacturer, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, had hidden data from the agency that showed its diabetes drug, Byetta, could lead to serious health complications in patients. An article published by The Street goes on to say that the company’s top executives lied to investors by not telling them that the covered-up research led to the FDA not approving the company’s next diabetes drug, Bydureon.

The “thorough QT study” was conducted in April 2010 to measure the effect the medication may have on a patient’s heart rhythms, an important concern considering the medication is for diabetics, who run a higher risk of cardiovascular events. The study found the drugs were associated with an increased risk of a Washington, D.C. Drug Injury, but failed to disclose this to the FDA. Two years later, officials with Canadian Health informed the agency of the research.

Since Amylin was seeking approval for a new diabetes drug that contained the same active ingredient as Byetta, officials required that the study’s results be submitted with the new drug’s approval application. The FDA finally approved the drug after minor changes and new testing proved its safety.

The Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland Injury Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers would suggest that anyone who has suffered negative effects of taking Byetta or Bydureon to discuss you situation with a doctor and attorney immediately.

Jun

New Study Points Out Risks Of Oral Contraceptives

June 19, 2012

Most women who take oral contraceptives as a birth control method are aware of the dangers that taking those pills raise the chances of developing blood clots significantly. New research is pointing out other risks of taking the pill as well. An article released by NBC 4 Washington stated that a new study has found a connection between taking birth control and the increased chances of heart attack and stroke.

The research, which was released in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that otherwise healthy women had double the risk of suffering a heart episode when taking contraceptives containing estrogen and progestin. The risk seems to increase as the dose of estrogen increases and a woman gets older. The study also discovered elevated risk of stroke in women using contraceptive rings or patches.

Dr. Saul Jeck, a DC area gynecologist, says that the chances of suffering a drug injury at the hands of a contraceptive are relatively low for healthy women, but also warns that no medications can be taken without some sort of risk being involved. He says that there are safe alternatives to these medications such as progestin-only pills and injections, which had no risk in the women followed during the study.

The Washington DC Injury Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers suggest that any woman with a history of heart conditions should discuss these risks with their doctor before making a decision on whether or not to take birth control pills containing estrogen.

Jun

Off-Label Drug Use Could Put Patients In Danger

June 12, 2012

NBC-Washington reports that thousands of prescriptions are being written each year to patients for off-label use, or to treat conditions that the medications aren’t approved for by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Take the case of a 20-year-old soldier who returned from a tour of duty after being severely injured in a bomb blast. He suffered physical injuries from the explosion, but the long-term effects of poor memory retention, ringing in the ears, and terrible headaches forced him to seek medical attention.

Doctors put him on a regimen of anti-psychotic mediations that are typically used to treat schizophrenia to devastating results that gave him a poor quality of life. The young veteran sought a second opinion and was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and has since stopped taking the medications.

Off-label drug use is a growing problem in the United States that can lead to serious health risks for patients, such as diabetes, heart problems, and even death. Experts believe that while off-label use may benefit a small percentage of patients, it’s mostly used to bolster pharmaceutical sales.

The Washington Personal Injury Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers would suggest avoiding drug injuries by always ensuring that a new medication you’ve been prescribed has been approved by the FDA for treating your condition. If a doctor suggests an off-label use of a drug, seek a second opinion from a qualified medical professional before beginning use.

Apr

CDC Reports Decline In Accidental Deaths Amongst Young People

April 17, 2012

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that fewer children and teenagers are dying as the result of accidents. An article published by 9 News Now stated that the information was gathered by the CDC through the examination of death certificate information from across the country.

The death rate for young people 19-years-old and younger declined by more than 30 percent from 2000 to 2009, meaning the number of deaths dropped from 12,400 annually to approximately 9,100 each year. Researchers attributed this sharp decline over a relatively short time period to the 41 percent decline in traffic fatalities for the age group. Experts believe this is due to many states implementing graduated driver’s license programs and public education on child safety and the use of booster seats.

On the other hand, our nation has seen a steady increase in the number of drug overdoses and accidental poisonings among children and teens. There was an 80 percent jump in the number of these cases over the nine-year period. The agency’s principal deputy director stated that prescription drugs found in parent’s medicine cabinets at home may be replacing marijuana as the top gateway drug.

This is why the Washington, DC Drug Injury Lawyers with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers ask that parents keep medications locked up and away from a child’s reach, and to only give your child medications that have been prescribed by a doctor.

Apr

FDA Issues Warning Against Baczol In Maryland

April 10, 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, have issued a warning regarding a children’s cold medication that ended up on pharmacy shelves. An article by NBC-Washington News stated that the medication, called Baczol, is unapproved for use in the U.S.

The agencies said they began investigating reports of the medication after several families came to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center after giving their children the drug, which they had bought at a Latino market. The investigation led to the discovery of three locations around Baltimore that were selling the unapproved medication, along with several other Maryland locations that also were in possession of the drug.

Warnings, which claim the medications may be ineffective for the conditions they’re advertised to treat, were issued for all products labeled as Baczol, Pediatric Baczol, or Baczol Antigripal. In addition, the medication also contains an antibiotic that parents may not be intending to give their children.

These medications present a danger to the public, as they have not gone through the standardized testing and manufacturing procedures that all consumable goods in our country must meet. Therefore, there is no way to guarantee what exactly is in the medication or how it was made.

For this reason, the Maryland Personal Injury Attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers recommend only taking medications that have been FDA approved for treatment of your illness or injury.

Feb

Study Shows Sleep Medications May Increase Risk Of Cancer and Death

February 28, 2012

Sleep medications can be beneficial on nights when you can’t fall asleep, but new research shows that consistent use of these drugs can increase patients’ risks for certain health problems. Reports from FOX DC News indicate that a new study shows that taking sleep aids on a regular basis can more than quadruple patients’ risk of death while also increasing their risk of cancer.

Researchers from the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in San Diego, California, and the Jackson Hole Center for Preventive Medicine in Jackson, Wyoming, examined 10,500 cases of adults taking sleep medications for two and a half years. These patients were matched with a control group of 23,600 participants based on age, gender, lifestyle, and health. They discovered that patients who took 18 to 132 doses of sleep medications per year were 4.6 times more likely to die than those who were in the control group.

The study was also able to help researchers determine that those taking the highest doses of sleep medications were 35% more likely to develop cancer than members of the control group who did not take the medications.

Estimates show that six out of 10 adults in the United States were prescribed sleep medications in the past year.

The Washington, DC Drug Injury Attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers are here to help you if you have been harmed by a medication prescribed to you by a doctor.

Feb

New Survey Shows Doctors Aren’t Always Honest

February 14, 2012

While most doctors have their patient’s best interests in mind, a new study shows that they may not always be completely honest with their patients. An article released by NBC-Washington says that a new survey of doctors across the country shows many admitting to lying to patients.

The survey was conducted by Harvard Medical School researcher, Dr. Lisa Lezzoni, and was published in this past month’s Health Affairs. She and her team compiled data pulled from 1,891 doctors who were surveyed and had some startling discoveries.

They discovered that approximately one-third of all physicians did not agree with fully disclosing serious medical mistakes to patients because of fear of having a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against them. Also, 40 percent of the physicians surveyed did not feel they needed to disclose their relationships and financial backing that comes from drug and medical device manufacturers.

Just over 10 percent of the doctors admitted to telling a patient something that wasn’t necessarily true in the past year.

The research team concluded that the findings raise concerns that patients may not be getting accurate information from their doctors in order to make an unbiased, educated decision on their healthcare.

The Washington, DC medical malpractice attorneys with ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers believe that doctors should be completely honest with their patients. If you have been injured as a result of a doctor’s dishonesty, contact an experienced attorney today.

Jan

Swiss Drug Maker, Novartis, In The Midst Of Dangerous Dilemmas

January 10, 2012

In the past two months, the Swiss drug maker, Novartis, has been plagued with problems ranging from deadly side effects of new drugs to dangerous mix-ups in the manufacturing and packaging of medications.

The reports began in December of 2011 when a 59-year-old multiple sclerosis patient dropped dead after taking his first dose of a trial medication, Gilenya. An article by Reuters said that the patient was monitored for six hours after taking the medication with no incident. The drug company stated that the drug is known to slow the heartbeat, but returns to normal after several hours. The investigation into determining the cause of death in the patient is still ongoing.

Just as the media attention surrounding the patient’s death began to die off, the company was broadsided by another harmful mistake, this time in the manufacturing of old drugs. 9 News Now reported yesterday that the company had recalled certain drugs in response to a mix-up at a Lincoln, Nebraska, manufacturing facility that may have accidentally packaged prescription painkillers into bottles of several over-the-counter medications. Officials believe that opioid painkillers, such as Percocet, Endocet, Opana and Zydone may have accidentally been packaged in bottles of Excedrin, Gas-X, Bufferin and NoDoz.

The Maryland drug injury lawyers with ChasenBoscolo would like to pass on the advice given by the drug’s manufacturer to confirm that all medications recently purchased are correctly packaged by comparing the pills in the bottle to the picture on the outside label.

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