Zoloft Lawsuits in Philly MDL

Zoloft Lawsuits in Philly MDL

Roughly 330 Zoloft birth defect lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer in the MDL (federal multidistrict litigation) established in U.S.District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The first Zoloft trials are scheduled to begin in 2014. These cases involve birth defects resulting from the use of Zoloft.

Twenty five lawsuits will be chosen among the total pending, 12 from a list chosen by plaintiffs’ lawyers and 13 by defense attorneys. After discovery and pre-trial proceedings are completed, the first bellwether trial regarding birth defects linked to Zoloft will begin in mid September 2014. Bellwether trials are considered cases which test the waters to give indications about how the litigation will proceed in the long run.

Virtually all of the Zoloft lawsuits claim that the drug taken during pregnancy can increase the risk of delivering a baby with severe birth defects, and Pfizer knew about the link between Zoloft and birth defects.

The birth defects include heart defects, clubbed foot, oral clefts, cleft lip and palate, delayed development, Autism, Persistent Pulmonary Hypertensin of the Newborn (PPHN), Gastrochisis, atrial and ventrical septal heart defects, pulmonary atresia and stenosis, Hypoplatic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Transposition of Great Arteries, Coarctation of the Aorta (coA), Tetralogy of Fallog (TOF), cranial defects, neural tube defects, Spina Bifida.

If you have been injured by Zoloft schedule your free initial consultation online or call us at 508-499-3366.

Supreme Court rules against drug victims

Supreme Court rules against drug victims

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote today that people hurt by generic drugs cannot collect compensation from the companies that made those drugs. The case was Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. v. Bartlett.

The same five justices who voted against compensating Gladys Mensing (Pliva v. Mensing) and thousands of others hurt by generic drugs also voted against Karen Bartlett and the many thousands of others who will continue to be affected by generic drugs that have harmed them: Antonin Scalia, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito.

See the full Supreme Court ruling

Z-pack FDA Warnings

Z-pack FDA Warnings

Z-pack – azithromycin – could lead to deadly heart rhythms

The popular antibiotic Azithromycin could trigger a potentially deadly irregular heart rhythm for some patients, the FDA warned in March 2013.

Sold as Zithromax, Zmax,  a “Z-Pack” is prescribed to treat bacterial infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections and more.

The FDA has warned that the pills can cause abnormal changes in the heart’s electrical activity that could lead to a fatal heart rhythm. Patients at greatest risk are those with known risk factors such as existing QT interval prolongation, low blood levels of potassium or magnesium, a slower than normal heart rate, or those who use  certain drugs to treat abnormal heart rhythms.

In a March 12, 2013 update, the FDA stated: “Health care professionals should consider the risk of fatal heart rhythms with azithromycin when considering treatment options for patients who are already at risk for cardiovascular events.”

A May 2012 study triggered the new guidance, along with, another study by Pfizer, the antibiotic’s maker, which assessed risks to electrical activity of the heart in those taking azithromycin.

A New England Journal of Medicine study last May – which was paid for by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute – found there would be 47 extra heart-related deaths per one million course of treatment with five days of Zithromax, as compared to 10 days of amoxicillin and other antibiotics. The FDA said risks of cardiovascular death associated with levofloxacin (Levaquin) treatment were similar to those associated with azithromycin treatment.

• Zithromax antibiotics tied to rare heart risks

Dr. Harlan Krumholze, a Yale University health outcomes specialist who was not involved  in the study, downplayed its findings. He told the AP last May: “People need to recognize that the overall risk is low.” He also posited that more research was needed, but said that patients with heart disease, “[s]hould probably be steered away” from Zithromax.

The FDA also issued a post-study statement in May 2012 that the agency was aware of the findings, and it would review the results and communicate any new information.

The AP also reported that Zithromax sales totaled $464 million in 2011, according to health care information company IMS Health.