FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Philadelphia judge rules against drug companies

  Staff Writer | November 01, 2006 9:59 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  On Oct. 17, 2006, victims of drug companies' failure to warn were victorious in a Philadelphia U.S. District Court ruling. Judge Stewart Dalzell ruled against the claims by drug maker Novartis that FDA regulations and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act "preempt state failure ot warn tort claims."An Association of Trial Lawyers Association memo details the issues at hand:The issue of FDA...

• Vioxx litigation costly for Merck

  Staff Writer | October 30, 2006 12:00 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  Last week The Wall Street Journal online's Law Blog reported that Merck & Company spends more than $1 million a day in legal costs, primarily on exploding Vioxx litigation. In 2006 alone, Merck has spent $325 million on Vioxx legal bills. Third quarter earnings were down 34 percent from this time last year. How long will Merck be able to keep up these costly bills? An excerpt from the blog...

• How do defective drugs get through the system?

  Staff Writer | October 27, 2006 1:09 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  In order for a prescription or over-the-counter drug to be available for sale, it must undergo a long and complicated process with pharmaceutical company and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before receiving approval. This process takes an average of four years and a great investment on the part of pharmaceutical companies. There are also many phases of testing for a drug to undergo before...

• Osteoporosis drugs linked to jaw disease

  Staff Writer | October 25, 2006 10:39 AM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  A number of drugs which are often used to treat osteoporosis and cancer patients are believed to cause a terrible jaw disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw or "dead jaw." Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Skelid, Adedia, Bonefos, Didronel and Zometa are part of a drug category called bisphosphonates. These drugs have been increasingly linked to osteonecrosis, a serious disorder in which the bone...

• Latest Study On Celebrex Confirms Cardiovascular Risk

  Tom Methvin | October 25, 2006 10:29 AM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom is the equivalent of the FDA in the U.S. A new study was reported by MHRA on March 1, 2006, regarding Celebrex. It lists a new study by several authors, including Dr. Brent Caldwell, citing a medical journal. The website summarized, stating the new study is based on data already assessed by regulatory agencies...

• Merck's 18-Month Myth Is Now Totally Deflated

  Tom Methvin | October 24, 2006 8:28 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  Merck & Co. has been playing fast and loose with the truth for years relating to its testing and marketing of Vioxx. Finally, in an admission that undermines its core defense in Vioxx-related lawsuits, Merck has finally decided to tell the truth. Merck now says it erred when it reported in early 2005 that a crucial statistical test showed that Vioxx caused heart problems only after 18 months of...

• Drug Firms Push Industry Agenda at FDA

  Tom Methvin | October 24, 2006 2:16 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  The drug industry should never be allowed to have its way with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by way of its funding of agency programs. Yet, that has happened on a continuing basis for at least the past ten years. Now, the FDA is bargaining with the industry for an increase in fees, giving the industry an even greater role in shaping the priorities of its supposed regulator. If this...

• Long-Standing Problems At FDA Confirmed

  Tom Methvin | October 24, 2006 2:07 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  Over the past few years, we have frequently written about the many problems at the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recently, a survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists confirmed what many medical and healthcare experts have felt relating to the performance of the FDA. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, Director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, issued the following statement relating to...

• Alabama state court in Vioxx spotlight

  Staff Writer | October 24, 2006 1:17 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  One of today's top Reuters headlines talks of a new barrage of Vioxx litigation over this defective drug that has been proven to cause strokes and heart attacks. Though a case in Texas was recently dropped by a plaintiff just two weeks before trial, several others move forward and will soon go to trial, including one in an Alabama state court. Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. is facing more than...

• The Risks Of Taking Fosamax Appear To Be Great

  Tom Methvin | October 17, 2006 2:06 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  Last month we wrote about the mounting problems associated with the popular osteoporosis drug Fosamax. Since that time it has become most apparent that the problems are widespread. As a result, the Fosamax litigation scene will be very active. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a disfiguring condition that leads to the breakdown of the jawbone and loss of teeth, is clearly a most serious matter....