Access To Justice

Octapharma USA is voluntarily recalling 31 lots of its Octagam Immune Globulin Intravenous 5% Liquid Preparation as a precautionary measure in response to increased reports of blood clots, some of which were serious.

Learn More

Avandia users face the same risk of a heart attack, heart failure, or death as those who take Actos, a rival diabetes medication, according to new research by health insurer WellPoint that differs sharply with earlier studies. The finding comes as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mulls whether GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia should be pulled for safety reasons.

Learn More

The results of a new Danish study add more evidence to earlier research that suggests a higher risk of cancer for diabetics who take insulin, although why this is so remains unclear. Two earlier studies have suggested a link between Lantus, a glucose-lowering drug used to control diabetes, and increased cancer risk in diabetics who use it.

Learn More

Matrixx Initiatives has agreed to settle with plaintiffs in 18 pending class action lawsuits over its cold remedy Zicam. Earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to stop using the nasal gel and related products because they could damage the ability to smell.

Learn More

Stalevo, a drug treatment for Parkinson’s disease, will undergo a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because clinical trial data suggests that patients who use Stalevo (carbidopa/levodopa and entacapone) may be at an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and death compared to those taking Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa), another drug for Parkinson’s.

Learn More

A new study suggests that some everyday painkillers may modestly increase a user’s risk of  stroke.

Learn More

The maker of the anti-psychotic drug Invega has been sued by a woman alleging her 13-year-old son used the drug and suffered side effects, including rhabdomyloysis, which caused him to lose part of his leg. The suit accuses the drug manufacturer, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, of failure to include adequate warnings of the drug’s risks; the suit also names the hospital and treating physicians.

Learn More

New research finds that women who use Depo Provera, an injectable hormonal contraceptive, run a somewhat higher risk of broken bones.  Depo Provera has carried a warning on its label since 2004 advising that use of the contraceptive can lead to calcium loss in the bones – a loss that grows with continued use.

Learn More

The New York Times reports that GlaxoSmithKline is under fire by a federal official and members of the Food and Drug Administration’s Avandia panel over a misleading memo sent by the company regarding the heart risks associated with its diabetes medication. The controversy comes as the FDA deliberates the drug’s ultimate fate.

Learn More

Pfizer Inc. scored a second win in defense of its menopause drug Prempro when a Pennsylvania jury found the drug didn’t cause breast cancers in two women and decided that the drugmaker doesn’t have to pay damages for their illnesses.

Learn More