Ortho Evra News

Ortho Evra News: "The mother of a woman who died while using a popular birth-control patch has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the maker of the patch, which she says caused her daughter's death." [Topix]

Women sue over birth-control patch - Women's Health - MSNBC.com

Women sue over birth-control patch - Women's Health - MSNBC.com: "More than 40 women sued the makers of a popular birth-control patch Wednesday, claiming the contraceptive caused serious illnesses and at least one death." [MSNBC]

Pill makers curry favor by touting convenience - Nashville, Tennessee - Monday, 11/27/06 - Tennessean.com

Pill makers curry favor by touting convenience - Nashville, Tennessee - Monday, 11/27/06 - Tennessean.com: "The hormone estrogen in these contraceptives is the main culprit in the increased risk of clots. In September, the FDA added a new warning label to Ortho Evra, the popular birth control patch, saying that it delivers up to 60 percent more estrogen than most daily birth control pills." [RCTimes]

TheStar.com - Birth control patch warning

TheStar.com - Birth control patch warning: "Health Canada is warning Canadian women that use of a birth control patch may increase their risk of developing blood clots in the legs and lungs." [Toronto Star]

Birth control patch warning about blood clots - Evra contraceptive patch - Health Canada

Birth control patch warning about blood clots - Evra contraceptive patch - Health Canada: "Janssen-Ortho Inc., in consultation with Health Canada, wishes to highlight important new safety information pertaining to Evra. The Evra transdermal system marketed in Canada contains 6.0 mg norelgestromin (NGMN) and 0.60 mg ethinyl estradiol (EE) and is approved for use in contraception (prevention of pregnancy)." [SpiritIndia]

Merck to Face 40,000 Vioxx Suits, Officials Say - Los Angeles Times

Merck to Face 40,000 Vioxx Suits, Officials Say - Los Angeles Times: "Merck & Co. will face about 40,000 claims over its withdrawn Vioxx painkiller once deadlines for filing lawsuits lapse around the U.S., court records and lawyer estimates show. " [LATIMES.com]

More than 14,000 Vioxx cases strain Atlantic County court

More than 14,000 Vioxx cases strain Atlantic County court: "The court charged with handling about 14,000 Vioxx-related cases that have been filed in the last two years has asked for additional help to handle its workload.

The Atlantic County Civil Division is handling the thousands of cases filed against Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck over the painkiller it pulled from the market in 2004, saying its own research showed the drug doubled risk of heart attack and stroke with long-term use." [KATC.com]

Judge Orders Merck to Reveal Trial Cost,

Judge Orders Merck to Reveal Trial Cost,: "A N.J. judge ordered Merck & Co. on Tuesday to release records on how much it spent on a trial involving its Vioxx painkiller.

The information would provide a window into how much Merck spends on its trials, and what its legal defense costs could be in the future. More than 21,000 suits have been filed against Merck, which has vowed to try each case over Vioxx." [Chron.com]

How The Journals Are Cracking Down

How The Journals Are Cracking Down: "With concerns about conflicts of interest on the rise, many medical journals are cracking down. Some are demanding more detailed disclosures from authors about how they're compensated by companies, and many are more skeptically scrutinizing papers that academic and company scientists produce together. " [BusinessWeek]

Merck Caught Misrepresenting Vioxx Risks Again

Merck Caught Misrepresenting Vioxx Risks Again: "Although Merck has long maintained that the risks associated with Vioxx occur after long-term use, a recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says the drug may raise the risk of heart attack for patients taking Vioxx for less than 2 weeks.

The study published online this month, found that more than 25% of 239 patients who had heart attacks did so in less than 13 days of being on the drug." [OpEdNews.com]

Judge: Merck claimed privilege for ads, press releases -- Newsday.com

Judge: Merck claimed privilege for ads, press releases -- Newsday.com: "Advertisements, press releases and studies already admitted into evidence were among hundreds of thousands of documents which Merck & Co. attorneys claimed they could not release, the judge overseeing all federal lawsuits involving the painkiller Vioxx said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon said he went through nearly 500,000 documents over the past two weeks _ checking many twice _ and probably will release many of them on Monday to the steering committee representing thousands of federal court plaintiffs." [Newsday]

Merck's Most Recent Vioxx Trial Loss and Punitive Damages Award Is 'No Surprise' for This Plaintiff's Lawyer: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Merck's Most Recent Vioxx Trial Loss and Punitive Damages Award Is 'No Surprise' for This Plaintiff's Lawyer: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "Some lawyers may have been surprised at the outcome of the most recent Vioxx trial. But it was no surprise for veteran San Francisco attorney William M. Audet, who currently represents over three hundred injured victims of Vioxx." [AHA]

USATODAY.com - Jury smacks Merck with $9M in punitive damages in Vioxx trial

USATODAY.com - Jury smacks Merck with $9M in punitive damages in Vioxx trial: "A jury has awarded $9 million in punitive damages to a man who blamed his heart attack on Vioxx, finding that manufacturer Merck (MRK) failed to warn about the risks of its arthritis drug and misrepresented the risks to physicians." [USA Today]

Latest Business News and Financial Information | Reuters.com

Latest Business News and Financial Information | Reuters.com: "A jury on Tuesday awarded $9 million in punitive damages to a New Jersey man who blamed Merck & Co. Inc.'s Vioxx for his heart attack, but the company vowed to continue fighting cases involving its withdrawn pain medicine." [Reuters]

FOXNews.com - Death Risk Warning for Asthma Drugs - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News

FOXNews.com - Death Risk Warning for Asthma Drugs - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News: "New labels on asthma drugs Advair and Serevent warn patients that the drugs 'may increase the risk of asthma-related death.'" [Fox News]

Patient Information Sheet: Fluticasone propionate; Salmeterol xinafoate (marketed as Advair Diskus)

Patient Information Sheet: Fluticasone propionate; Salmeterol xinafoate (marketed as Advair Diskus): "Because LABAs, such as Advair Diskus, may increase the chance of asthma death in some people:

* Advair Diskus should not be the first medicine you use for asthma.
* Advair Diskus should only be used if an inhaled corticosteroid along with once in a while use of a short-acting bronchodilator medicine does not control your asthma." [FDA]

Alert for Healthcare Professionals: Fluticasone propionate; Salmeterol xinafoate (marketed as Advair Diskus)

Alert for Healthcare Professionals: Fluticasone propionate; Salmeterol xinafoate (marketed as Advair Diskus): "Long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists, such as salmeterol, an active ingredient in Advair Diskus, have been associated with an increased risk of severe asthma exacerbations and asthma-related death. FDA has requested that the package insert (labeling) for all long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists, including Advair Diskus, be revised to provide more information about this possible increased risk. FDA has also requested that a Medication Guide (FDA-approved patient information) containing information about these risks for patients and caregivers be dispensed with each prescription. FDA advises that, in the treatment of asthma, Advair Diskus should only be used in patients who have not adequately responded to other asthma controller medications, such as low-to-medium dose inhaled corticosteroids." [FDA]

Death Risk Warning for Asthma Drugs

Death Risk Warning for Asthma Drugs: "GlaxoSmithKline, which makes both Advair and Serevent, agreed to the new 'black box' warnings -- the strongest warning a drug label can carry. The agreement follows the FDA's November 2005 requestFDA's November 2005 request for an update of the drugs' existing black box labels." [WebMD]

Serevent, Advair, and Foradil Linked to Risk of Severe Asthma Exacerbations

Serevent, Advair, and Foradil Linked to Risk of Severe Asthma Exacerbations: "Serevent, Advair, and Foradil Linked to Risk of Severe Asthma Exacerbations, Death" [Medscape]

Advair & Serevent, Severe Asthma Reactions and Fatalities Lawsuit Information: Click Here.

Advair & Serevent, Severe Asthma Reactions and Fatalities Lawsuit Information: Click Here.: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned healthcare professionals regarding the increased risk of severe asthma episodes and death associated with use of inhalation powders containing long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists (LABA) such as salmeterol xinafoate and formoterol fumarate." [AHA]

Jury again rules against Merck in a Vioxx case - Business

Jury again rules against Merck in a Vioxx case: "Delivering a sharp blow to Merck, a New Jersey jury has found that the company did not properly warn patients of the dangers of its drug Vioxx and thus was responsible for a heart attack suffered by John McDarby in 2004.

The jury awarded McDarby, who had taken Vioxx for four years, $3 million in compensatory damages and Irma, his wife, an additional $1.5 million." [IHT}

Merck stock tumbles after loss in Vioxx case - Apr. 6, 2006

Merck stock tumbles after loss in Vioxx case - Apr. 6, 2006: "Merck stock tumbled Thursday, a day after the nation's No. 2 drugmaker was found liable for the heart attack of a New Jersey man who took Vioxx and a jury awarded $4.5 million in damages.

Merck stock sank about 4 percent in morning New York Stock Exchange trading.

A jury in Atlantic City, N.J., late Wednesday awarded John McDarby and his wife $4.5 million in compensatory damages in their suit against Merck. " [CNN}

Attorney urges punitive damages against Merck

Attorney urges punitive damages against Merck: "An attorney for a 77-year-old New Jersey man who won a $4.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. over the withdrawn Vioxx painkiller urged the jury on Thursday to send a strong message to the drugmaker by awarding punitive damages." [Reuters]

Merck Shares Fall After Losing Vioxx Trial

Merck Shares Fall After Losing Vioxx Trial: "Shares of Merck & Co. fell Thursday after a New Jersey jury found that the drugmaker concealed the dangers of its painkiller Vioxx in a split verdict that gave one of two plaintiffs in the trial $4.5 million in compensatory damages.

Shares of Merck, which is facing many similar lawsuits, fell $1.47, or 4 percent, to $34.52 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange ." [Leading the Charge]

Merck faces punitive phase of Vioxx trial

Merck faces punitive phase of Vioxx trial: "The punitive phase of a trial involving the Merck & Co. painkiller Vioxx was set to start on Thursday after a jury found the drugmaker failed to warn Vioxx users of heart risks and ordered it to pay a 77-year-old plaintiff at least $4.5 million in damages.

Merck shares fell 4.3 percent to $34.45 in premarket trade on Thursday after the jury in Atlantic City, New Jersey, found that Vioxx had been a substantial contributing cause of a heart attack suffered by John McDarby. "

Antibiotic found to alter blood sugar dramatically

Antibiotic found to alter blood sugar dramatically "Elderly patients taking the widely used antibiotic gatifloxacin were nearly 17 times as likely to be hospitalized for very high blood sugar levels and four times as likely to be hospitalized for unusually low levels, a finding that is leading some physicians to call for the drug's withdrawal from the market." [Indystar]

AG sues drug company for fraud

AG sues drug company for fraud: "Eli Lilly and Company committed fraud on the people of West Virginia in selling the drug Zyprexa, Attorney General Darrell McGraw claims in a suit he filed Feb. 28 in Mason Circuit Court.

McGraw seeks to stop Eli Lilly's deceptive practices, collect damages, and create a fund for those who will develop diabetes and other diseases from taking Zyprexa." [West Virginia Record]

Jury: Merck Liable for Man's Heart Attack - Forbes.com

Merck Liable for Man's Heart Attack - Forbes.com: "A state jury found Merck & Co. liable on Wednesday for one of two former Vioxx users' heart attacks and ordered he receive $4.5 million in damages in a closely-watched trial involving two New Jersey men." [Forbes]

Jury: Merck Liable for Man's Heart Attack

Jury: Merck Liable for Man's Heart Attack: "A jury found Merck & Co. liable on Wednesday for one of two former Vioxx users' heart attacks in a split verdict that awarded $4.5 million in damages to one of the plaintiffs.

The state jury found the company failed to adequately warn both men about the risk factors linking the now-withdrawn painkiller to heart attacks and strokes, but said the drug was only a factor in one of the men's illnesses." [Washington Post]

Jury awards $4.5 mln in Vioxx verdict against Merck

Jury awards $4.5 mln in Vioxx verdict against Merck: "Jurors in Merck & Co.'s Vioxx trial awarded $4.5 million on Wednesday to a 77-year-old New Jersey man after finding the painkiller contributed to his heart attack, casting doubts on the strategy Merck will use in thousands of other suits over the drug." [Reuters]

News: Aprotinin: Deadly? - myDNA

News: Aprotinin: Deadly? - myDNA: "Doctors, consumer advocates and at least one medical research group are calling for the elimination of a drug commonly used during heart surgery because it was recently found to have serious, potentially deadly side effects." [MyDNA.com]

Bayer's Plischke sees likely slowdown in blood loss drug Trasylol sales growth

Bayer's Plischke sees likely slowdown in blood loss drug Trasylol sales growth: "Bayer AG can expect a slowdown in the growth in sales of its blood loss drug Trasylol, after an independent study showed that the drug was associated with health risks, board member Wolfgang Plischke said after the full-year results news conference." [Forbes]

Trasylol Patients and Clinical Trial Subjects Beware

Trasylol Patients and Clinical Trial Subjects Beware: "Thirteen years ago, the FDA approved Trasylol (aprotinin) for use in patients undergoing heart bypass surgery. In January 2006, doctors, consumer advocates and a medical research group called for the removal of the drug from the market after a study found it to have deadly side effects." [OpEdNews]

ABC News: Study: Tequin Tied to Blood-Sugar Problems

ABC News: Study: Tequin Tied to Blood-Sugar Problems: "Serious blood-sugar complications among people taking the antibiotic Tequin are more common than had been believed, a new study in older people suggests.

The research, released Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine, is further evidence the drug may pose special risks for diabetics. The study found hazards for others as well." [ABC News]

Antibiotic Tequin risky to diabetes patients

Antibiotic Tequin risky to diabetes patients: "Tequin (gatifloxacin), one of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat lung, sinus and urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases, may raise or reduce blood sugar to a dangerous level in diabetics, found a new study scheduled to appear in the March 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Previous studies have already found that gatifloxacin is associated with both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia." [Foodconsumer.org]

Antibiotic gatifloxacin (Tequin) poses health risks - MayoClinic.com

Antibiotic gatifloxacin (Tequin) poses health risks - MayoClinic.com: "What happened? A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the antibiotic gatifloxacin (Tequin) may increase the risk of both low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) during or after its use. These fluctuations in blood sugar may be severe enough to require hospitalization.

Gatifloxacin is in a class of popular broad-spectrum antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. The antibiotic is used to treat many different bacterial infections — including pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections and certain sexually transmitted diseases. Other antibiotics in the same class include ciprofloxacin (Cipro, others) and levofloxacin (Levaquin, others)." [Mayo Clinic]

Tequin linked to blood sugar problems

Tequin linked to blood sugar problems: "Two Canadian studies indicate patients taking the antibiotic Tequin run a sharply higher risk of serious blood sugar problems.

The studies examined medical histories of 1.4 million older Canadians, The Wall Street Journal said.

One study said that patients receiving Tequin, already under heightened regulatory scrutiny, were nearly 17 times as likely to seek hospital treatment for high blood-sugar, compared with patients taking other antibiotics." [UPI]

Tequin usage associated with 17 times more risk of high blood sugar

Tequin usage associated with 17 times more risk of high blood sugar: "'What we found was that people taking gatifloxacin had more than a fourfold increase in the risk of being treated in hospital for low blood sugar than people who were on other antibiotics,' said Dr David Juurlink, a clinical pharmacologist at Sunnybrook and a co-author of the paper that is to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine later this month. 'And the people on gatifloxacin had almost 17 times more risk of developing high blood sugar,' he added." [Earthtimes]

Health Canada Issues Tequin Antibiotic Warning

Health Canada Issues Tequin Antibiotic Warning for Diabetics: "The antibiotic Tequin can have life-threatening side-effects in people with diabetes, a study by Canadian researchers has found. The antibiotic gatifloxacin is sold under the brand name Tequin by its manufacturer, Bristol-Myers Squibb. Health Canada is urging doctors to stop prescribing the antibiotic for patients with diabetes as a precaution." [CBC News]

Study reveals risk to Tequin patients -- Newsday.com

Study reveals risk to Tequin patients -- Newsday.com: "Six years and 20 million patients later, a popular antibiotic has been found to cause life-threatening changes in blood glucose, according to a study." [Newsday]

United Press International - Health Business - Bayer's Trasylol may cause kidney failure

United Press International - Health Business - Bayer's Trasylol may cause kidney failure: "WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A major independent study indicates Bayer's antifibrinolytic agent Trasylol doubles the risk of kidney failure and causes other serious adverse events, including stroke and heart attack.

The finding is likely to significantly impact sales of the drug, which were expected to be more than $600 million this year."

Bloomberg.com: Europe

Bloomberg.com: Europe: "Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Bayer AG's Trasylol, used in more than 60 countries to control bleeding after surgery, doubles a patient's likelihood of developing kidney failure and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, researchers said."

Reuters Business Channel | Reuters.com

Reuters Business Channel | Reuters.com: "FRANKFURT, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Shares in German drugs and chemicals group Bayer (BAYG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) fell more than 3 percent on Thursday after a study showed that its Trasylol drug doubled the risk of kidney failure.

Analysts said the result of the study, in the New England Journal of Medicine, increased the risk for investors from Bayer's pharmaceuticals business, which is recovering from a $1 billion recall of cholesterol drug Baycol over patient deaths."

Bayer blood clot drug Trasylol associated with increased health risks - study - Forbes.com

Bayer blood clot drug Trasylol associated with increased health risks - study - Forbes.com: "LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AFX) - Bayer AG's blood clot drug Trasylol (Aprotinin) has been associated with increased risk of kidney failure, of higher stroke risk and encephalopathy -- any degenerative disease of the brain -- in cardiac surgery, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. "

Bayer Slips On FDA Trasylol Warning | newratings.com

Bayer Slips On FDA Trasylol Warning | newratings.com: "Bayer (BAY.ETR) -1.4% at EUR33.39, hemorrhaging slightly on back of FDA's warning on its Trasylol blood drug, say traders. Within a few minutes, around 700,000 shares were traded, says one. 'But that's an old story,' another trader says pointing to a previous study of the drug from January. (MOD/HAD)"

Vioxx expected to drag on Merck 2005 and play key role in 2006 performance

Vioxx expected to drag on Merck 2005 and play key role in 2006 performance: "Vioxx is expected to drag down Merck & Co.'s 2005 earnings when they are reported Tuesday. But what's really frustrating analysts is their inability to assess the drug's potential liability and the toll that litigation preparations are taking on the company." [Canoe Money]

Zyprexa hurt Lilly revenue growth in '05

Zyprexa hurt Lilly revenue growth in '05 | IndyStar.com: "Struggling to replace eroding sales from its No. 1 drug Zyprexa, Eli Lilly and Co. managed to post revenue growth of just 6 percent last year, its smallest increase since 2002." [IndyStar.com]