The FDA are saying that the prolonged use of the diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) might put patients at risk to develop bladder cancer. Pioglitazone is sold as a single-ingredient product under the name brand name Actos which is also used in combination with metformin (Actolus Met, Actoplus Met XR) and glimepiride (Duetact). Diet and exercise to help improve and control blood sugar in adults that have type 2 diabetes mellitus according to FDA officials. The FDA officials say that about 2.3 million patients filed a prescription for pioglitazone-containing product from retail pharmacies from outpatients.

The FDA said in a press release that "This safety information is based on the FDA's review of data from a planned five-year interim analysis of an ongoing, ten-year epidemiological study described in the FDA's September 2010 ongoing safety review. The five-year results showed that although there was no overall increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone use, an increased risk of bladder cancer was noted among patients with the longest exposure to pioglitazone and in those exposed to the highest cumulative dose of pioglitazone."

Actos lawsuit victims have filed cases seeking damages against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the drug's manufacturer. Some of the Actos lawsuits have contained allegations that are similar to those cited by authorities in both France and Germany, where sales of the drugs have been either suspended or affected by the government warnings about the dangerous side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration’s ban of popular painkillers Darvon, Darvocet and other drugs containing propoxyphene had long been called for by the national consumer watchdog organization Public Citizen. The group had maintained for years that the drugs’ painkilling abilities had been overrated and that its side effects could prove deadly for many patients by causing cardiac problems including heart attacks. So when the FDA finally did ban the drugs, citing “new” medical studies that showed a link between the drugs and these heart problems Public Citizen officials were quick to ask why it took so long.

One of them, Dr. Sidney Wolfe, pointed out that these dangers had been known for years and that European countries had acted long before the U.S.  regulators decided to follow their example and pull the drugs from the market in the interests of public safety. “The FDA’s deadly delay in this case starkly illustrates how one of the most important public health concepts, the precautionary principle, was embraced by the UK and Europe, but was for too long recklessly rejected by the FDA. Evidence going back more than 30 years indicates that propoxyphene is not very effective, is toxic at doses not much higher than the recommend dose because a heart-toxic metabolite accumulates in the body, and is somewhat addictive. It has been linked to many thousands of U.S. deaths since 1981, a large proportion of which were likely caused by cardiac toxicity, including the interruption of electrical conduction in the heart.” Contact a Darvocet lawyer if you have taken the drug and are experiencing serious side effects.

More Zoloft users seeking a lawsuit

Even though the FDA has warned women that are pregnant to stop using Zoloft, many continue to do so and they face some dangerous risks to their baby’s health. 

It’s been proven that taking Zoloft for depression when pregnant exposes the baby to many different types of birth defects.  It’s amazing that women would continue to take Zoloft after reading what is available on the web these days. 

In doing research for this topic we found many sites that talk about how to join in a Zoloft Lawsuit.

Many in the legal world are taking note of the FDA warnings have set up websites in order to find women and babies with birth defects such as heart and lung problems. 

Accutane, the immensely successful but dangerous anti-acne drug, was withdrawn from the American market in 2009. Although the drug showed tremendous early promise and many acne sufferers benefited greatly from its treatment the downside of severe negative side effects derailed the commercial success.

Despite the billions of dollars the drug’s manufacturers were earning they cited financial problems as the reason for halting the drug’s sales in the United States. Skeptics pointed out the revelations of links between Accutane use and birth defects, inflammatory bowel diseases and mental issues, including suicide as being more at the core of the problems than the company’s bottom line.

There was also the problem of thousands of lawsuits being filed by victims of these side effects as the links began to be documented, first in government and research studies and then in courtrooms across the country as evidence was presented to judges and juries. We don’t know exactly how much the drug’s manufacturers have had to pay out in damages because many of the cases have been settled and the amounts are confidential but there have been millions of dollars in damages publicly acknowledged in news reports.

It’s interesting to note that even with the problems in the U.S. market and in the U.S. court system the manufacturer was still selling generic versions outside of the United States under other brand names. There will probably be a great deal of scrutiny about how these other countries handle the situation in comparison to the reaction in the United States.

Contact a lawyer today to file your Accutane lawsuit.

There are many women who swear off drugs, alcohol and even processed foods while they are pregnant in an attempt to ensure that they give birth to the healthiest baby possible. Not all women are able to do that because some require medication to treat mental or physical health issues. Unfortunately, sometimes the use of medications can cause problems for their infants.

The anti-depressant drug, Paxil, is one of the drugs identified by consumer groups, health officials and the Food and Drug Administration as being linked to heart problems and other birth defects born to mothers who used the drug during their pregnancies. Research has shown that many of these mothers are or were unaware of this link and also lack knowledge of the legal options available to them against GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Paxil.

Hundreds of other women have filed suit against Paxil over the birth defects suffered by their infants and millions of dollars have been awarded in jury verdicts and settlements as more and more women come forward with their cases. A key issue in one of the trials that GlaxoSmithKline lost was a finding by the jury that the manufacturer “negligently failed to warn” the physician who was treating the mother in that trial of the dangers of the drug.

Here are some of the conditions that have been identified in legal papers as birth defects linked to Paxil:

·        Heart defects

·        Lung Defects

·        Neural tube defects

·        Cranial defects

·        Atrial septal defects

·        Ventrical septal defects

·        Abdominal defects

·        PPHN

·        Spina bifida

Contact a Paxil birth defect lawyer today to get the help you deserve.