Product Liability

We are personal injury lawyers in Florida handling product liability claims that cause serious injury or death for persons who suffer serious personal injury as a result of a defective product. A product may be defective by design, manufacture, or failure to warn of certain dangers. Manufacturers of dangerous products may be liable for injuries, and may also be liable for punitive damages if the conduct of the manufacturer in producing the dangerous product was reckless. We handle cases against automobile manufacturers, and manufacturers of all types of dangerous and defective products.

Cordis Cypher Stent

When the Cordis Cypher stent was first released for public use, it was heralded as a “great advancement” in the effort to prevent the reoccurrence of clogs in diseased arteries. The device has proved successful in some patients, yet in others the device has proven to be deadly.

The adverse effect of greatest concern is the development of blood clots around the stent. This can lead to a heart attack, which may also result in death. In October, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced that it had received 290 reports of blood clots in patients that had received the Cypher stent. Sixty of those reports resulted in the patient’s death. By November 22, 2003, the FDA had received an additional seventy report concerning blood clots. To date, the FDA has received 360 reports involving the development of dangerous blood clots as a result of implantation of the Cypher stent.

Blood clots are not the only potential health risk posed by the Cypher stent. A number of patients have experienced allergic-type reactions. Those reactions range from pain, hives, rashes, and fever to problems with breathing and blood pressure. The FDA has received fifty such reports regarding hypersensitivity to the Cypher stent. In its October warning, the FDA stated that many patients have experienced severe anaphylaxis, some of whom have died, from the stent. The exact number of patients that have fallen victim to this side effect is unknown because the FDA has not released any figures regarding anaphylactic responses to the Cypher stent.

Despite growing concern surrounding the safety of the Cypher stent, Cordis Corporation, the maker of the Cypher stent and a subsidiary of the Johnson & Johnson, continues to distribute the stent. To date, over 400,000 Cypher stents have been distributed worldwide, mainly within the United States.

If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one due to the use of the Cordis Cypher stent, please contact our office.

DANGEROUS DRUGS

Please check the list below of drugs that may have injured you or someone you know. If someone you know has taken any of these drugs, feel free to contact our office for assistance.

Arava

Two of the main drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis are methotrexate and Arava. While both drugs have side effects, studies indicate that Arava may be 33 times more likely to damage the liver. Concerned over the mounting death toll, both the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medical Products and manufacturer Aventis Pharmaceuticals have issued warning letters. Arava has also been associated with hypertension and Steven-Johnson syndrome, and can remain in the bloodstream for months after a patient discontinues use.


Avandia

Avandia, the brand name for rogisglitazone maleate, is prescribed to patients with Type II diabetes. This drug purports to treat Type II diabetes by assisting the body in using the insulin that it produces. However, this drug, like its cousin Rezulin, can have serious negative effects.

This drug has been shown to lead to liver toxicity and damage, heart problems, edema, anemia, and hepatitis. Since its introduction, Avandia has been linked to four cases of liver failure and thirteen cases of ALT elevation (a measure of liver damage). These incidences were reported within the first four months that Avandia was available to be prescribed to the public. Also during the first four months, the Food & Drug Administration received reports of five cases of heart failure and roughly fifty reports of adverse effects on the heart.

There are other non-life-threatening, but equally unsettling, side effects. In clinical trials, most participants reported experiencing upper respiratory infections and headaches. Tiredness, muscle weakness, water retention, and swelling are several other common side effects. Also, individuals using Avandia can expect a 5% increase in body weight.

In March 2000, Public Citizen, a nonprofit organization, petitioned the FDA to place a clear warning on this drug because the negative consequences of using this drug were so alarming. The FDA, in February 2001, mandated the makers of Avandia to place stronger warnings on the bottles describing the increased risk of cardiac failure. Then, in July 2001, the FDA warned the makers of Avandia that they had not adequately revised its label and falsely denied the serious risk of congestive heart failure.

Despite the steps that the FDA has taken to reduce the risk this drug poses to those using it, the risk of serious side effects has not been eliminated. If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or negative side effect or have lost a loved one due to the prescribed use of Avandia, please contact our office.

Baycol

A number of patients who took Baycol to lower their cholesterol have been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. Fatal rhabdomyolysis has been reported more frequently among people taking Baycol than among people taking similar cholesterol lowering drugs. Usually a rare condition, rhabdomyolysis involves serious muscle breakdown. The damaged muscle cells release products into the bloodstream that may cause liver damage, kidney damage, and death. There is also a theory that Baycol has caused heart attacks, but further study is needed.

According to the FDA, at least 31 people who took Baycol have died as a result of severe rhabdomyolysis. We are representing some of these families. People most at risk include those who took higher doses, elderly patients, and those who took Baycol in conjunction with gemfibrozil (lopid). Bayer, the manufacturer, has stopped marketing Baycol and its active ingredient cerivastatin and it is no longer being prescribed.

To read the FDA's recall notice, click on the link.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2001/Baycol2.htm

Our personal injury firm currently represents hundreds of victims who suffered after taking Baycol. The specialized knowledge and experience we have accumulated on these cases can be brought to bear on your behalf. Anyone who has taken Baycol and has experienced any of the symptoms listed above should contact our office for a free consultation.

Crestor

Baycol is not the only drug designed to fight cholesterol that has proven to be problematic for many patients. Crestor, the brand name for rosuvasatin , has been shown to cause rhabdomyolysis and kidney and liver damage.

In clinical trials, Crestor was linked to seven cases of rhabdomyolysis. This debilitating condition was seen in those participants receiving Crestor at a dosage of 80 milligrams. Despite these findings, the FDA approved the drug for public consumption. Due to the serious adverse effects of Crestor, the FDA has limited the prescribed dosages to 40 milligrams. Public Citizen, a non-profit medical research group, has stated that such a limitation "will not adequately protect patients."

Public Citizen has also warned that Crestor has not been proven effective in reducing the potential for heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, patients using Coumadin, a blood-thinning drug, while simultaneously taking Crestor may experience negative drug interactions.

Because of the dangerous reactions individuals have experienced while using Crestor, Public Citizen has petitioned the FDA to remove Crestor from the market. If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or negative side effect or have lost a loved one due to the prescribed use of Crestor, please contact our office.

References :

Lauran Neergaard, Cholesterol Drug Stirs an Outcry for Ban , Sun-Sentinel , Mar. 5, 2004 , at 6A.

Public Citizen, Public Citizen Warns Against New Statin Drug Crestor: Cholesterol Drug Potentially More Dangerous than Baycol; FDA Should not have Allowed on Market , Sep. 16, 2003, available at www.citizen.org/pressroom/print_release.cfm?ID=1543 (last visited Mar. 8, 2004).

Public Citizen, Cases of Kidney Failure, Muscle Damage Should Prompt FDA to Ban Crestor , Mar. 4, 2003 , available at www.citizen.org/pressroom/print_release.cfm?ID=1657 (last visited Mar. 8, 2004 ).

Eprex

Eprex, a drug manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, is designed to treat anemia. In some patients, the drug may have the opposite effect, shutting down all red blood cell production for years. Although the company claims "the integrity of [its] product has never been compromised," federal regulators are currently conducting a probe of Johnson & Johnson that examines the truth of recent cover-up allegations.

Meridia

Meridia is a diet drug sold by Abbott Laboratories. Because research indicates that Meridia may cause heart problems, consumer advocacy groups are petitioning the FDA to recall the drug. We are now accepting cases from persons who believe that they have been injured as a result of taking Meridia.

To read Public Citizen's petition, click on the link.
http://www.publiccitizen.org/publications/release.cfm?ID=7160

Propulsid

Propulsid is an acid reflux drug sold through Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Together with the FDA, Janssen has decided that the risks of heart problems associated with Propulsid outweigh its benefits. Use of Propulsid has been restricted to limited trials as a drug of last resort.

To read about Janssen's decision to restrict Propulsid, click on the link.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2000/propul1.htm

Rezulin

Rezulin is a diabetes medication developed by the Warner-Lambert Company. Because Rezulin may increase the risk of heart or liver failure, the FDA has removed this product from the market.

To read a February 25, 2005 news report about Rezulin, click on the link.
http://www.freep.com/news/health/rezulin25e_20050225.htm


Serevent

Serevent (salmeterol xinafoate), an FDA approved asthma drug, has been found to have a trend of an increased risk of death insome patients. The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, abruptly discontinued a study that it was performing to determine the safety of this drug. The company has not yet provided the FDA with sufficient data from its own study sufficient for the FDA to decide whether additional warnings should be placed on this drug, or whether other action should be taken. Suffice it to say that the fact that the company itself discontinued the safety study on this drug does not bode well for the drug's safety. However, the FDA has warned not to discontinue the use of this drug without first consulting with your physician.

For more information on this issue, see:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01192.html

Serzone

Serzone, the brand name for nefazodone hydrochloride, is an oral medication prescribed to treat depression. This drug works by blocking the re-uptake of serotonin, thereby increasing the natural substances in the brain.

Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that the drug may be more dangerous that originally reported. Side effects to this drug include, but are not limited to, skin irritation and rashes, lightheadedness, ringing in the ears, dry mouth, nausea, and fatigue. Yet, there is a far more serious side effect to Serzone, liver dysfunction and liver failure.
Individuals taking Serzone are three to four times more likely to experience liver failure than those not using this medication. The risk of liver failure was so great that in December 2001, the FDA ordered Bristol-Meyers Squibb, the manufacturer of Serzone, to place a black box warning on the drug. It also mandated Bristol-Meyers Squibb to issue letters to health care professionals warning about potential liver failure.

Use of Serzone has resulted in fifty-five reported cases of liver failure, including twenty deaths. In several of the reported cases, liver failure was so extensive that liver transplants were required to save the patient.

Public Citizen, a nonprofit public interest organization, has cited these effects and studies to the FDA in its petition requesting this drug be removed from the U.S. market. The FDA calls for more research of Serzone despite the fact that Serzone was withdrawn from the European market in January 2003 after the drug was linked to twenty-five reports of liver failure and eighteen deaths. Furthermore, in November 2003 the Canadian government has ordered Serzone, and other medications containing nefazodone, be pulled from the market. The FDA continued to request further study and evaluation of the drug before coming to a final decision.

If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or negative side effect or lost a loved one due to the prescribed use of Serzone, please contact this office to review your case.

To read the black box warning on Serzone, click on the link.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2002/serzone_deardoc.PDF

Thimerosal

Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in several vaccines. Because mercury can be toxic to young children, causing autism and other developmental disorders, the FDA has requested that this preservative be phased out. Congressman Dan Burton has led efforts to recall Thimerosal immediately.

To read clippings from government hearings on Thimerosal, click on the link.
http://www.house.gov/burton/pr102600.htm

Dan Cytryn, Esquire
Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer
Law Offices Cytryn and Santana, P.A.
1401 N. University Drive
Suite 401
Coral Springs, Florida 33071
(Tel) 954-255-7000

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