Dangerous Drug and Pharmaceutical Lawsuits

There are a number of active lawsuits over pharmaceuticals, in which the plaintiffs have alleged that the drug posed a greater risk to their health, that the manufacturers were aware of these risks and that users were not adequately warned of these dangers. These products liability lawsuits include everything from antidepressants that may have led to birth defects when used by expectant mothers to statins, drugs used to lower bad cholesterol levels, which have been linked to higher rates of diabetes when used by post menopausal women. Lawsuits involving the diabetes drug Avandia, which was linked to much higher rates of heart attack and stroke by users, have recently settled and lawsuits over the oral contraceptives Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella, which resulted in claims by thousands of women for health problems related to blood clots, such as embolisms and deep vein thrombosis, are expected to settle soon.

Medical Device Lawsuits

There have been tens of thousands of medical devices recalled in the last several years, which have resulted in numerous lawsuits. Many of the medical device lawsuits involve joint replacement systems, particularly metal-on-metal hips, such as those manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. and Stryker Corporation. Hip replacement systems are perhaps the single last product that anyone with one implanted wants to see recalled, by tens of thousands were recalled by DePuy alone in 2010. Those lawsuits are expected to begin settling in 2014.

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Current News and Updates for Dangerous Drug and Medical Device Lawsuits

247LawsuitNews.com provides information about major national lawsuits, primarily pharmaceuticals and medical devices, which involve large numbers plaintiffs. Most lawsuits covered by 247LawsuitNews.com are MDLs (Multi-District Litigation), not class action lawsuits. Browse 247LawsuitNews.com for news on new mass tort lawsuits, status of current MDLs and recent Case Management Order news and lawsuits currently settling or about to settle.

Dangerous Drug and Pharmaceutical Lawsuit News

There are a number of active lawsuits over pharmaceuticals, in which the plaintiffs have alleged that the drug posed a greater risk to their health, that the manufacturers were aware of these risks and that users were not adequately warned of these dangers. These products liability lawsuits include everything from antidepressants that may have led to birth defects when used by expectant mothers to statins, drugs used to lower bad cholesterol levels, which have been linked to higher rates of diabetes when used by post menopausal women. Lawsuits involving the diabetes drug Avandia, which was linked to much higher rates of heart attack and stroke by users, have recently settled and lawsuits over the oral contraceptives Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella, which resulted in claims by thousands of women for health problems related to blood clots, such as embolisms and deep vein thrombosis, are expected to settle soon.

Medical Device Lawsuit News

There have been tens of thousands of medical devices recalled in the last several years, which have resulted in numerous lawsuits. Many of the medical device lawsuits involve joint replacement systems, particularly metal-on-metal hips, such as those manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. and Stryker Corporation. Hip replacement systems are perhaps the single last product that anyone with one implanted wants to see recalled, by tens of thousands were recalled by DePuy alone in 2010. Those lawsuits are expected to begin settling in 2014.

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Current Multi-District Litigation News

The majority of the Celexa and Lexapro birth defects lawsuits in the United States have been consolidated in Missouri Judicial Circuit 19 (Case No. 08AC-CC00566-01) in Cole County, Missouri. Celexa and Lexapro birth defects lawsuits allege that the antidepressants caused birth defects when taken by pregnant women and that the maker of these drugs, Forest Laboratories, Inc., was aware of this risk and failed to appropriately warn expectant mothers of the danger. The birth defects alleged to have been caused by Celexa and Lexapro use include cardiac birth defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, spina bifida, anencephaly, craniosynostosis, omphalocele and club foot, as well as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).

View more Complete Multi-District Litigation News Here

Endo International and Coloplast Settle Pelvic Mesh Cases for an Average of $38,000 per Case

A major settlement of transvaginal mesh settlements was announced at the end of April, with Endo International, the parent company of American Medical Systems, agreeing to pay $830 million to settle 22,000 pelvic mesh lawsuits. This was in addition to the $54.5 million paid by the company to settle a small number of suits last year. Another surgical mesh manufacturer, Coloplast, paid $16 million to settle roughly 400 transvaginal mesh lawsuits. A third manufacturer, Bard, has settled individual mesh lawsuits in New Jersey and West Virginia.

Johnson and Johnson, which estimates that one million women have been implanted with pelvic mesh in the last 15 years, has not yet settled any of the transvaginal mesh lawsuits it faces.

Lexapro Birth Defects Lawsuits Progress; Employee Depositions Have Taken Place and Expert Disclosures Are Due

The majority of the Celexa and Lexapro birth defects lawsuits in the United States have been consolidated in Missouri Judicial Circuit 19 (Case No. 08AC-CC00566-01) in Cole County, Missouri. Celexa and Lexapro birth defects lawsuits allege that the antidepressants caused birth defects when taken by pregnant women and that the maker of these drugs, Forest Laboratories, Inc., was aware of this risk and failed to appropriately warn expectant mothers of the danger. The birth defects alleged to have been caused by Celexa and Lexapro use include cardiac birth defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, spina bifida, anencephaly, craniosynostosis, omphalocele and club foot, as well as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).

View more Lexapro Birth Defects Lawsuit News Here

Pradaxa Lawsuit Settlement Announced

Pradaxa Maker to Pay $650 Million

Case: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2385

Defendant: Boehringer Ingleheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Court: U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois (East St. Louis)

Presiding Judge: David R. Herndon

Plaintiffs: 2,337

Issue: Plaintiffs have alleged that Pradaxa posed a greater risk of internal bleeding to its users, that Boehringer Ingleheim was aware of this risk and did not adequately warn users of the product of this risk.

Status: Bellwether trials are set to start in August of 2014. In a recent hearing, Boehringer Ingleheim was fined for its lack of document production. Prior to that, Boehringer Ingelheim attempted to block the plaintiffs' counsel from discovering the documents reviewed by a deponent in advance of that person's disposition. The Court struck down this attempt and required disclosure of all documents reviewed by a deponent, describing the Defendant's position as disingenuous.

View More Pradaxa Lawsuit News Here

DePuy Hip Recall Lawsuits Settle for Over $2.5 Billion

Case: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2197

Defendant:DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.

Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio

Presiding Judge: David A. Katz

Plaintiffs: 8,313

Issue: The actions share factual issues as to whether DePuy's ASR XL Acetabular Hip System, a device used in hip replacement surgery, was defectively designed and/or manufactured, and whether DePuy failed to provide adequate warnings concerning the device, which DePuy recalled along with another ASR device,3 the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, in August 2010.

Status: The bellwether trial in the DePuy ASR hip replacement system lawsuit was originally scheduled to commence on September 9, 2013, but was continued until September 24, 2013, which was further postponed by Judge Katz on September 20, 2013, which ordered it to start within 90 days.

Yaz/Yasmin Blood Clots Lawsuits Settling Now

Case: Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation, MDL 2100

Defendant: Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bayer AG

Court: U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois (East St. Louis)

Presiding Judge: David R. Herndon

Plaintiffs: 13,611

Issue: Allegations that these oral contraceptives caused blood clots leading to heart attacks, strokes, embolisms and DVT.

Status: Bayer has paid over $400 million in settlements in one category of blood clot cases, for an average of $212,000 per case. Just under 2,000 of the blood clot cases have settled. The company doubled its reserve for settling Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits to over $610 million.