LawSquawker • Thomas & Wan's Blawg

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. is on the hook for nearly $1.2 million in damages after a federal jury in North Carolina found that the company failed to warn a woman's doctor that its Aredia and Zometa drugs could cause a disfiguring bone condition. The actual verdict was $12.8 million but is being reduced to $1.2 million due to North Carolina tort reform laws. The woman's family’s lawsuit was the third product-liability case to go to trial over the bone-strengthening treatments. Last month, a New Jersey jury rejected a woman’s claims that Aredia and Zometa caused her jaw deterioration. In October 2009, a Montana jury ordered Novartis to pay $3.2 million in damages to a cancer patient who made the same claims over the medicines. Novartis is facing about 700 suits over the bone-strengthening medicines, according to court filings. Some of the cases have been consolidated before a federal judge in Tennessee . Others have been sent back to their home courts for t...

We are currently reviewing cases of Hyland Teething Tablet poisoning. Please STOP using this product immediately and keep the product in a safe place in a waterproof container as evidence. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that the recalled tablets may pose a risk to children due to inconsistent amounts of belladonna , a substance that can cause serious harm at larger doses. The FDA has received reports of seizures, difficulty breathing, and muscle weakness in children using the tablets. There have also been reports of overdose; the containers do not have child safety caps.

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that a recalled medical tissue device "could cause more problems than originally thought." The device, Octopus Nuvo Tissue Stabilizer, was recalled by Medtronic Inc. in September because of its potential to break during use, posing a danger to patients. Now, officials are saying that using the product could cause severe injury or death and demand health care facilities cease using them. The recall has been stepped up to a Class 1 Recall according to Medtronic. Read the full story here .

The FDA announced a nationwide recal l of the blood thinner heparin made by B. Braun Medical Inc. because of concerns that the product may be contaminated with trace amounts of the same substance that was found to be in the 2008 heparin recall. The heparin was manufactured in 2008 and will expire on Oct. 31, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2010. The FDA said people who have heparin from the recalled lots should discontinue use immediately. If you have been affected by this recall, please contact your doctor immediately, and contact Thomas & Wan, LLP to know your legal rights. Here are the recalled lots: Product Name Catalog Number Lot Number Manufacture Date Expiration Date 25,000 Units Heparin in 5% Dextrose Injection, 50 Units/mL P5771 J8D674 4/15/2008 10/31/2010 1,000 Units Heparin in 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, 2 Units/mL P8721 J8D676 4/17/2008 10/31/2010 1,000 Units Heparin in 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, 2 Units/mL ...