Despite the concerns about Actemra side effects raised by a June 2017 STAT News report, manufacturers Genentech and parent company Roche are pursuing new indications for the drug, in an effort to increase sales. One of the latest is systemic sclerosis, also called scleroderma, a…
In May 2017, all New Jersey State Court Stryker LFIT V40 lawsuits were coordinated before the Bergen County Superior Court to reduce the risk of duplicative discovery and conflicting rulings. On July 31, 2017, the multicounty litigation (MCL) convened a case management conference, during which…
On July 24, 2017, a Georgia woman filed a new Onglyza lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. She alleges that after she took Onglyza (saxagliptin) and/or Kombiglyze XR, which is a combination of saxagliptin and metformin, to help lower…
Metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implants have been the subject of scrutiny for many years. In 2013, for example, the FDA warned that they had “unique risks in addition to the general risks of all hip implants.” These include corrosion and fretting that can lead to soft…
After an eight-week trial in King County, Washington, a jury ordered duodenoscope manufacturer, Olympus Corp., to pay Virginia Mason Medical Center $6.6 million in damages suffered as a result of a deadly superbug outbreak. They also ordered the hospital to pay $1 million of that…
On June 2, 2017, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) consolidated all federally filed Ethicon Physiomesh lawsuits into the Northern District of Georgia. Since then, more cases have joined the litigation. There are now over 80 pending in that court, with more expected…
The Ethicon Physiomesh multidistrict litigation continues to grow in the Northern District of Georgia. All federally filed cases were transferred there in June 2017, with District Judge Richard R. Story overseeing the pre-trial proceedings. On June 21, 2017, a Georgia woman filed a Physiomesh lawsui
As bellwether trials continue in the consolidated Xarelto Multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, a new drug safety report highlights the dangerous side effects associated with the medication. Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is an anticoagulan
On May 31, 2017, an Iowa woman filed a new class action lawsuit against 3T heater-cooler manufacturer LivaNova PLC, previously Sorin Group Deutschland GMBH. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Iowa. The plaintiff claims that during open-heart surgery,…
The type 2 diabetes drug Invokana (canagliflozin) has been linked with some serious side effects, including kidney problems, urinary tract infections, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Now, according to recent studies, it may also double the risk for lower-limb amputation. Researchers presented their findi
In June 2017, the New York Times reported that New York City experienced an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. According to the report, one person died and six others were sickened by Legionella bacteria. Inspectors examined all cooling systems…
On June 2, 2017, the U.S. Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) consolidated all federally filed Ethicon Physiomesh lawsuits into one court in the Northern District of Georgia. District Court Judge Richard W. Story was appointed to oversee the pre-trial proceedings. The Judge has schedu
