O'Connor Law

Monday, November 26, 2007

MRI Contrast Agent Gadolinium Blamed for Young Man's Death

An Ohio woman has filed a lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals of Wayne, New Jersey claiming the drug Magnevist, a contrast agent containing the heavy metal gadolinium, caused her 24-year-old son's death in August 2004. Trevor Drake of Norwalk, Ohio was injected with Magnevist at the Cleveland Clinic prior to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure for his advanced kidney disease. Contrast agents like Magnevist are injected into patients prior to some tests to help diagnosticians visualize the body's internal organs and blood vessels.

Drake's mother, Beverly Rockwell, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of her son. The lawsuit specifically claims that Magnevist caused Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), a skin and joint disease which proved to be fatal to the young man. NSF, also known as Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD), is a condition that only develops in patients with kidney disease. Patients with NSF/NFD have swelling and tightening of the skin, usually only involving the extremities but sometimes affecting the torso. The thickening and swelling of the skin inhibits flexion and extension of the arms and legs, and severely affected patients may even be unable to walk.

In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that there were 200 reports worldwide of NSF/NSD cases that had developed following patient exposure to gadolinium-based contrast agents; many of these cases were fatal. In mid-May 2007, the FDA advised the makers of gadolinium-based contrast agents to place a "Boxed Warning" about the risks of developing NSF/NFD after being injected with Magnevist. A boxed warning is also referred to as a black label warning and means that medical studies indicate the drug carries a significant risk of serious and even life-threatening side effects. A black label warning is the strongest warning the FDA issues prescription drugs.

For more information, contact the Law Offices of Michael J. O'Connor & Associates at 800-518-4529, or visit our website to fill out one of the contact forms (www.oconnorlaw.com). The initial consultation is free, and the firm works on a contngency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

posted by Michael J. O'Connor & Associates at 8:10 AM

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Merck Agreement to Resolve U.S. VIOXX® Product Liability Lawsuits

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., Nov. 9, 2007 - Merck & Co., Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with the law firms that comprise the executive committee of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee of the federal multidistrict VIOXX litigation as well as representatives of plaintiffs' counsel in state coordinated proceedings to resolve state and federal myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke claims already filed against the Company in the United States.

If certain conditions under the agreement are met, the Company will pay a fixed amount of $4.85 billion into a settlement fund for qualifying claims that enter into the resolution process. This is not a class-action settlement. Claims will be evaluated on an individual basis.

While at this time the exact number of claimants covered by this agreement is unknown, the total dollar amount is fixed. Payments to individual qualifying claimants could begin as early as August 2008 and then will be paid over a period of time. Merck retains its right to terminate this process without any payment to any claimant, and to defend each claim individually at trial if any of the participation conditions in the agreement are not met.

For more information and to find this Press Release, please visit the Merck VIOXX® (rofecoxib) Information Center at http://www.merck.com/newsroom/vioxx/

posted by Michael J. O'Connor & Associates at 7:43 AM

Accutane and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Roche Holding AG, a Swiss drug manufacturer with U.S. operations in Nutley, New Jersey, has been ordered to pay $2.5 million in damages to a 36-year-old man who developed severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) after taking the acne medication Accutane.

IBD refers to chronic diseases that cause inflammation in the form of painful swelling and diarrhea. Other common symptoms of IBD are abdominal cramps, blocked bowels, bloody stool, fever, dehydration, and extreme weight loss. IBD is also considered to be a major risk factor for developing colon and/or rectal cancer. Once you have IBD, symptoms can flare up without warning leaving sufferers constantly worried about when the next episode of pain and diarrhea will strike.

Accutane is a very powerful acne medication that Andrew McCarrell took in 1995. After taking the drug, he developed chronic diarrhea and incontinence, and, after multiple surgeries, finally had to have his colon removed. McCarrell was awarded $2.5 million and an additional $119,000 to cover his medical expenses. To date, there have been approximately 400 lawsuits in the United States involving Accutane, which has been on the market since 1982.

For more information, contact the Law Offices of Michael J. O'Connor & Associates at 800-518-4529, or visit our website to fill out one of the contact forms (www.oconnorlaw.com). The initial consultation is free, and the firm works on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

posted by Michael J. O'Connor & Associates at 7:01 AM

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

CNN Special Report

Recently Anderson Cooper 360 broadcast a program on some of the underhanded tactics of the multi-billion dollar insurance industry. These tactics attempt to keep you from getting the medical payments and benefits that you deserve following an automobile accident or injury.
The report also mentions one particular insurance company that is known to fight virtually all claims.

Click Here To See The CNN Special Report On The Insurance Industry

We consider this information to be very important and thought that you'd like to know about it. If you have questions about your auto insurance policy we'd be happy to review with you the coverages that we feel you should have, to ensure that you are adequately protected.

posted by Michael J. O'Connor & Associates at 8:37 AM

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