Articles Posted in Product Liability

Roundup is one of the most popular and widely used weed killers in the world. Roundup was first released in the early 1970s by Monsanto (now owned by pharma giant Bayer) and it eventually came to dominate the weed killer market, both commercial and residential. Roundup was everywhere and there was never any question about whether it was safe.

The end of Roundup’s success story began about 5 years ago when it was discovered that chronic exposure to the active ingredient in Roundup (glyphosate) could cause certain types of cancer. This discovery was followed by an inevitable tidal wave of lawsuits by individuals who were diagnosed with cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after prolonged use of Roundup.

The Roundup lawsuits soon numbered in the thousands and were consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of California. Monsanto (and its successor Bayer) has repeatedly refused to admit that Roundup is unsafe and aggressively defended its product in the courts.  After years of civil discovery and a series of “test trials” that resulted in massive plaintiff verdicts, Bayer finally gave in and announced that it was going to pay a staggering $10 billion to settle all of the Roundup lawsuits.

IVC filters have been linked to an increased risk of fracture which can cause serious injury or death.  Our law firm is focused on Cordis and Cook IVC filter cases.

The IVC filter lawsuits have been going on for a long time, too long.  Our lawyers frequently get calls from people who are frustrated that their lawyer has “done nothing” to advance their case towards settlement. We also get calls from victims who cannot find a lawyer.    This page gives you information if you have filed an IVC filter lawsuit or are thinking of filing such a claim.

Note: 2021 Update Below

Last February, just before the coronavirus shutdowns put everything on pause, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Safety Communication for the weight-loss drug Belviq. According to the FDA, studies show that Belviq increases the risk of certain types of cancers. In response to the FDA safety announcement for Belviq, Easai Inc. agreed to voluntarily withdraw the drug from the market. It now appears that Belviq is destined to suffer the same disastrous fate as many other prescription weight control drugs.

What is Belviq?

Belviq is the brand name for Lorcaserin, a new type of hormone appetite suppressant medication developed for the treatment of obesity. It was originally developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals and later manufactured and sold by Japanese-based pharmaceutical company Eisai.

Yesterday, I wrote about the rising Paragard litigation and the possibility of a class-action lawsuit.  Today, I’m writing about the history of IUDs for birth control.

The Paragard IUD is the most recent intrauterine contraceptive device to find itself embattled in a wave of product liability lawsuits in the U.S. Like so many of its predecessors in the IUD market, the Paragard turned out to have a hidden defect that caused serious health problems in many users.

The recently discovered issue with the Paragard is that the device frequently breaks apart when doctors attempt to remove it, causing fractured shards of plastic to poke around inside the uterus. This defect has already prompted a wave of Paragard IUD lawsuits around the country.

Recent studies and reports have found an association between Beovu and retinal vasculitis with vision loss. This comes only months after it received FDA approval.

What Are Beovu’s Common Side Effects?

Elmiron is the brand name of a popular prescription drug manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Millions of people take Elmiron every day to treat chronic bladder conditions. Last year, however, a research study confirmed that prolonged use of Elmiron can cause serious damage to the retinas in the eyes. Studies have conclusively established that extended use of Elmiron at high doses has caused permanent blindness and impaired vision.

After the release of these findings linking Elmiron to eye damage, a steady stream of dangerous drug lawsuits has been filed against Janssen alleging vision loss or damage caused by Elmiron. To date, just over 100 individual Elmiron lawsuits have been filed in federal courts around the country. More of these bladder medication lawsuits have been filed in state courts.

Elmiron MDL Class Action Pending

The talcum powder lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson have been going on for years. The lawsuits allege that prolonged use of talcum powder (or “talc”), which is the active ingredient in products such as Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, can cause ovarian cancer in some women. This page provides a J&J talc power litigation update.  Our lawyers last updated this page on May 20, 2021.

Latest Talcum Powder Lawsuit Update

Since the first studies linking talcum powder to cancer were made public, thousands of product liability lawsuits have been filed against J&J. The talcum powder lawsuits in federal courts have been consolidated into a class action MDL.

In a recent study, researchers found that the drug methotrexate may increase the risk for skin cancer as well as other adverse side effects such as gastrointestinal complications and lung problems.

What is methotrexate?

Methotrexate-based drugs are immunosuppressants which help treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center estimates that about 60 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients are currently using or have used these medications. Methotrexate-based brands include Otrexup, Trexall, and Xatmep.

Xeljanz is a popular medication that is prescribed to treat patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Xeljanz is the brand name for the drug Tofacitinib, which works by suppressing the patient’s immune system to help reduce inflammation in the body. Since its original release in 2012, this medication has exploded in popularity because of its placement of ads on television and in magazines.

Manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, the company has raked in over a billion dollars in profit off the hundreds of thousands of people use the drug. In February 2019, Pfizer was hit with an FDA safety warning that linked Xeljanz to an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs and overall death.  This has led to many lawyers, including us, to investigate potential Zeljanz lawsuits.

Months later, this forced Pfizer to put a black box warning on their drug label. This scares off doctors and patients. This is arguably why Pfizer did not suggest to the FDA adding this warning long ago. This warning is expected to put significant stress on the company’s profits as patients avoid the medication and file new failure to warn lawsuits. (The good news for Pfizer is that there warning will prevent many future lawsuits from being filed.)