FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Tips To Prevent Medication Errors

  M. Brandon Smith | July 21, 2009 1:27 PM | 2 CommentsAtlanta, GA

  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 million people are injured each year by medication mistakes, according to the Institute of Medicine. At least one quarter of these are preventable. The following...

• Georgia Settles with Eli Lilly and Co. for $6 million

  Jessica Smagacz | April 29, 2009 7:44 PM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  According to AJC, while other states are seeking more with lawsuits over potential side effects of Zyprexa, Georgia made the decision to enter into a multimillion-dollar settlement with Eli Lilly...

• Eye Damage caused by SJS & TEN

  Jessica Smagacz | February 19, 2009 5:09 PM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  Many patients with the rare skin conditions Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) also experience involvement with the eyes, according to a study published in the...

• 2009 Wise Tips from Atlanta Journal Constitution

  Jessica Smagacz | December 29, 2008 9:16 AM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote an article yesterday on tips for 2009 or any year for the purpose of watching out for your safety and pocketbook. I thought they were very good tips for anyone...

• Public Citizen warns FDA danger of Avandia

  Jessica Smagacz | November 01, 2008 5:57 PM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  Public Citizen, a consumer group, petitioned the FDA asking them to ban Avandia. Avandia is a prescription drug used for diabetes by GlaxoSmithKline. Public Citizen said “the government...

• $3 Million Verdict In Prempro Lawsuit-Wyeth Held Liable

  M. Brandon Smith | February 20, 2007 6:17 PM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  Prempro lawsuit leads to a $3 million verdict against its manufacturer Wyeth after causing an Ohio woman's breast cancer. The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas jury found that Wyeth ``failed to provide an adequate warning'' to the plaintiff given the known side effects of it use. This was the fifth trial against Wyeth and marks the largest jury verdict thus far. Three of the other trials...

• Jaw Death Linked To Fosamax

  M. Brandon Smith | October 17, 2006 5:16 AM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, also known as Phossy Jaw or Dead Jaw, is a very serious condition caused by the blockbuster osteoporosis drug Fosamax. Manufactured by Merck & Co., Fosamax is a nitrogenous bisphonate that has been linked to jaw death in many unwary consumers. As of 2004 the FDA asked Merck & Co. to add a suitable warning to its Fosamax label but Merck failed to do so for fear of losing...

• Cipro And Other Antibotics Need Stronger Warning Labels

  M. Brandon Smith | August 31, 2006 9:56 AM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  Fellow InjuryBoard blogger Bob Carroll of Tampa Bay, Florida brought my attention to a rising number of concerns relating to certain antibiotics like Cipro that are in need of stronger warnings on its prescribing labels. Cipro and other similar antibiotics from the fluoroquinolone class have been linked to tendon injuries in the past but now as the use of these drugs grow in popularity, so do...

• Actonel Same Problems As Fosamax?

  M. Brandon Smith | June 15, 2006 7:00 AM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  I was recently asked about Actonel, a bisphosphonate used to treat sufferers of osteoporosis, and if it was known to cause osteonecrosis like Fosamax, Zometa, and Aredia. The short answer is YES. All of these drugs are members of the family of drugs known as bisphosphonates. A link has been found between bisphosphonates and a bone disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Bisphosphonates...

• Merck Sued Over Fosamax: Class Action Forthcoming?

  M. Brandon Smith | April 13, 2006 9:38 AM | 1 CommentAtlanta, GA

  Everyone knows about the thousands of lawsuits the drug marker Merck is currently facing in regards to its now recalled drug Vioxx that reportedly increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes in it consumers. Now a Tennessee woman, Gwendolyn Wolfe, has filed suit over another Merck drug called Fosamax. Fosamax is a drug designed to combat osteoporosis but has been reported to cause patients'...