Thornton Law Firm Blog

FDA Investigating Heart Failure Risk Linked To Saxagliptin

FDA Investigating Heart Failure Risk Linked To Saxagliptin

by | Feb 12, 2014

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is investigating a possible increased risk for heart failure associated with the diabetes drug Saxagliptin, manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca and marketed as Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR. The FDA has requested full data from the results of a recent clinical trial assessing the cardiovascular safety and efficacy of many current medications used to treat type 2 diabetes, including Saxagliptin (SAVOR trial). The FDA intends to further investigate the 27% increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure among patients taking the Saxagliptin reported in the study. The findings were first reported in August of 2013 at the European Society of Cardiology meeting and subsequently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Settlement Reached In Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Litigation

Settlement Reached In Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Litigation

by | Feb 3, 2014

Biomet, Inc. and counsel for Plaintiffs reached an agreement to settle all cases currently pending in the Biomet MDL (In Re Biomet M2A Magnum Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2391) and any future cases filed on or before April 15, 2014. To be eligible for compensation a plaintiff must have been implanted with a Biomet M2a 38 or M2A Magnum hip replacement system and underwent surgery to revise the device more than 180 days after it was implanted.

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First Federal Actos Bellwether Trial Underway

First Federal Actos Bellwether Trial Underway

by | Feb 1, 2014

The first federal MDL Bellwether trial in the Actos litigation (MDL 2299) began yesterday in Lafayette, Louisiana before the Honorable Rebecca Doherty. The plaintiff is Terrance Allen, a New York man who was prescribed the diabetes drug Actos from 2004 until 2011 when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Allen’s opening statement asserts that the evidence will show that Takeda had information about Actos causing bladder cancer for over 10 years and withheld this information from doctors and patients. Actos also raises the risk of heart disease, although that is not at issue in this trial.

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Heading Home: Ending Homelessness For Good

Heading Home: Ending Homelessness For Good

by | Dec 9, 2013

Do you know the average age of a homeless person in Massachusetts? It’s …. 8. Eight years old is the average age of a homeless person in our state. Families are now the homeless population’s fastest growing segment, comprising more than one-third of the homeless population. According to the Massachusetts’ Coalition for the Homeless, as of October 29, 2013, there were approximately 4,100 families with children and pregnant women in Massachusetts’ Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program. On any given night in Greater Boston, more than 7,000 people are homeless, including 3,000 children.

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Asbestos Jobsites In Massachusetts: Hollingsworth & Vose Company

Asbestos Jobsites In Massachusetts: Hollingsworth & Vose Company

by | Nov 19, 2013

It is common knowledge that asbestos was used as insulation material – used in pipe coverings and cements. Less well-known, though, is that asbestos was incorporated into a wide variety of everyday construction and household items: paint, caulk, attic insulation, gardening supplies, makeup, and even crayons.

What is almost unknown, however, is that asbestos was once used as a “safety” feature in Kent cigarettes. In the 1950s, the Kent “Micronite” filter was featured in a wide array of the company’s advertisements with taglines like, “More scientists and educators smoke Kent with the Micronite Filter.” “You can SEE the proof of Kent’s health protection.” Those unfortunate enough to have smoked Kent Micronite cigarettes were not, as advertised, safer. Instead, they combined their exposure to cigarette smoke with asbestos exposure – inhaling through a filter made of asbestos

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