Huntsville Personal Injury Lawyer

FDA Links Botox to Adverse Reactions and Death

Tara Helms — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:34:07 GMT

Botox (Botulinum toxin) has become well known for its use for cosmetic purposes in smoothing wrinkles. Botox, however, has been linked to cases of serious adverse reactions, including death, according to the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"). The FDA notified the public that Botox and Botox Cosmetic (Botulinum toxin Type A) and Myobloc (Botulinum toxin Type B) have been linked to respiratory failure and death, following treatment of a variety of conditions using a wide range of doses.

Botox (type A) is approved for treatment of conditions such as blepharospasm (spasm of the eyelids), cervical dystonia (severe neck muscle spasms), and excess sweating. Botox Cosmetic, also botulinum toxin Type A, is approved for temporary improvement in facial lines and wrinkles. Myobloc (type B) is approved for the treatment of adults with cervical dystonia. The safety and effectiveness of Myobloc for cervical dystonia in children have not been proven.

The most severe adverse reactions were found in children treated for spasticity in their limbs associated with cerebral palsy. The adverse reactions appear to be related to the spread of the toxin to areas away from the site of injection, and mimic symptoms of botulism. Symptoms of botulism may include difficulty swallowing, weakness and breathing problems. Some patients with difficulty swallowing have required feeding tubes. Also, some patients with breathing problems were unable to breath without the assistance of a ventilator. Serious outcomes included hospitalization and death.

Consumer rights groups have asked the FDA to add the strongest warning, a black box, to the products' label. These groups have also asked that patient-friendly medication guides be developed alerting patients to the earliest signs of an adverse reaction. However, the FDA has indicated that a black box warning is premature at this time.

Until the FDA has completed its review, the FDA has warned patients and healthcare providers to be alert to the potential for adverse reactions following the administration of Botox. The FDA also advises patients who have received Botox to receive immediate medical attention if they have unexpected difficulty swallowing or talking, trouble breathing, or muscle weakness. The FDA also asks patient to report adverse events to FDA's MedWatch reporting system.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tara Helms

Wrecks Caused by Drivers Without Insurance

Tara Helms — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:37:00 GMT

What would happen if you or your family were seriously injured in a car accident by a driver with no insurance? You might be surprised to learn that your own insurance policy could be used to help pay for medical bills and lost time from work. There are more than 100,000 car wrecks in Alabama every year. Many of these wrecks result in injuries.

Often times, the person at fault did not have any car insurance. But this may not mean that there is no way to make a claim for your injuries and property damage in these cases. The state of Alabama requires that automobile insurance companies provide uninsured/underinsured motorist ("UM/UIM") coverage unless it is specifically rejected in writing. In other words, if you have full coverage, you also have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, unless you signed a document telling your insurance company that you did not want UM/UIM coverage. Therefore, many folks who are injured in accidents can still make a claim for reimbursement for medical bills, lost wages, and property damage, even if they were not aware that those benefits were available to them. Your declarations page of your insurance policy will tell you the type of coverage you have and how much money may be available to reimburse you for your losses. It is also important to pay attention to the number of vehicles listed on the policy as this can increase the amount of coverage benefits available to you; this is known as stacking of benefits.

You must notify your insurance company if you have been involved in a wreck. Be careful however. Just because the policy of UM/UIM is with your own company and you were not at fault, does not mean that your company will automatically pay benefits. You must still prove that you were not at fault for the wreck. You must also prove the extent of your injuries and that the injuries were actually caused by the wreck before you can claim benefits. Therefore, be thoughtful and careful in answering your insurance company's questions. Don't let anyone put words in your mouth to improperly suggest that you might have been speeding at the time of the wreck if you were not. Also, be careful when answering questions about any pre-existing medical conditions you may have. Even your own insurance company may use this type of information to deny your claim.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tara Helms

Outrageous Spending in Alabama Judicial Races

Clay Martin — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:56:12 GMT

Partisan elections for Alabama's highest courts are out of control. The money that has been spent over the past 15 years on Supreme Court races in Alabama is obscene and definitely calls into question whether Alabamians are electing "fair and impartial" justices to our highest court.

Alabama spends far more than any other state to elect candidates to our top court posts. Between 1993 and 2006, candidates for Alabama's top state court posts spent more than $48 million. In 2006 alone, 15 candidates in Alabama spent more than $13 million. The next closest state during the same time period was Texas. In comparison, Texas which has almost 5 times the population and ranks 20 states ahead of Alabama in per capita income, spent $28 million ($20 million less than Alabama) on campaigns for its top judicial posts and in 2006 spent around $3 million. So, despite what they say, not everything is bigger in Texas.

Spending tremendous sums of money on partisan judicial campaigns erodes peoples' faith in the independence of the Judicial Branch and can eventually threaten democracy, which is dependent upon independent courts. Alabama should scrap partisan judicial elections. State Circuit and District Court races should be non-partisan. For our Appellant Courts, Alabama should adopt a form of merit selection, where governors would chose from qualified candidates nominated by an independent, bi-partisan commission. Most states have dropped partisan judicial elections, and we should do so as well.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Clay Martin

How Safe is Your Apartment?

Tara Helms — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:34:00 GMT

There are several hundred apartment fires everyday in the United States. How safe is your apartment? There are many hazards which can lead to a fire in an apartment complex. And those hazards are multiplied by the number of tenants. Matches and careless smoking habits, electrical hazards, heating and cooking fires, are all common sources for the outbreak of fire. Do you know if your apartment has fire prevention and detection equipment such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers? Have you ever considered the importance of the actual design and construction of the apartment building itself?

· Does the apartment building use combustible materials on balconies or in hallways and stairwells where fires could burn undetected and prevent escape?

· Does each sleeping area have an unobstructed, operable window large enough for escape?

· Is there adequate fire wall separation between each apartment unit to delay and/or prevent the spread of fire from one tenant's apartment to another?

· Are all exit doors self-closing?

· Does the building contain an automatic sprinkler system?

· Does the lease you signed contain an exculpatory clause holding the owners harmless for design defects which can lead to the spread of fire?

From the construction of the apartment building itself to the type of smoke detector installed, there may be many hidden defects which can contribute to the spread of fire, or delay your escape. If these defects exist, the consequences in loss of life, injury, and loss of personal property can be devastating. Despite such potential devastation, it is important for the apartment dweller to know that most leases do not cover such losses and require that all claims for injury and damages to personal property (including automobiles) be borne by the residents and must be submitted to the resident's own insurance carrier. It is extremely important to keep these factors in mind when selecting an apartment for yourself or a family member. It could save someone's life.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tara Helms

Urgent Drug Recall -- Digitek

Tara Helms — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:02:40 GMT

People are receiving phone calls and pharmacy letters notifying them that their heart drug may be unsafe.

Actavis Totowa LLC, a United States manufacturing division of the international generic pharmaceutical company Actavis Group, is initiating a nationwide recall of Digitek (digoxin tablets, all strengths) for oral use. The products are distributed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., under a "Bertek" label and by UDL Laboratories, Inc. under a "UDL" label. All lots of the drug Digitek, a generic form of digoxin, are being removed from shelves.

The voluntary recall is due to the possibility that tablets with double the appropriate thickness may have been commercially released. These tablets may contain twice the approved level of active ingredients than is appropriate.

Digitek is used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. The existence of double strength tablets poses a risk of digitalis toxicity in patients with renal failure. Digitalis toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instability and bradycardia. Death can also result from excessive digitalis intake. Several reports of illnesses and injuries have been received.

Actavis manufactures the products for Mylan and the products are distributed by Mylan and UDL under the Bertek and UDL labels. Bertek and UDL are affiliates of Mylan.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration. Given the risk of serious injury or death associated with the use of the recalled drug, pharmacists have been asked to directly contact customers. Many pharmacies are reaching out to any individual who had a prescription filled within the past 12 months.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tara Helms

Serious Health Risks Associated with Bowel Cleansing Products

Tara Helms — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:20:58 GMT

In recent years, the use of oral sodium phosphate solution (Fleet Phospho-Soda) as a bowel preparation for colonoscopy or surgery has become more and more common. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert in May of 2006 noting that "a rare, but serious form of kidney failure has been associated with the use of oral sodium phosphate (OSP) products (e.g., Fleet Phospho-Soda solution, Fleet Accu-Prep solution, and Visicol tablets) for bowel cleansing. Some of these products (Fleet Solutions) may be purchased over-the-counter and are commonly used by individuals for pre-colonoscopy and pre-surgery bowel cleansing. Other products (Visicol tablets and Osmo Prep tablets) may only be obtained by prescription. Although Osmo Prep tablets were not included in the FDA alert, there is still a risk associated with the use of this product and kidney damage.

Acute renal failure involving calcification of renal tissue has been identified. It is believed that the manufacturers of these products failed to properly warn about the potential side effect of kidney failure which has been associated with these products. A large percentage of the individuals who have suffered kidney failure as a result of ingesting these products have become dialysis dependent, and in some cases, the kidney failure has resulted in death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tara Helms

Police Investigating Car Accident that Killed 3 Alabama Cheerleaders

Jenny Albano — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:31:09 GMT

Police are investigating the cause of a car accident that killed three Alabama high school cheerleaders and injured four in Friday night, November 30.

Sarah Casey, 16, Courtney Niceley, 17, and Whitney Bradford, 16, of Warrior, Ala., all died when the car they were in hit a tree and went over an embankment. The driver, Sarah Elizabeth Agee, 17, Brittany Lovejoy, 17, Ariel Nibblet, 17, and Alexandria Thomas, 16, were all injured, but thankfully survived the crash.

The Blount County coroner says that the girls were just goofing around, singing and laughing when the driver lost control of the vehicle. He doesn't think that the accident was caused by anything other than the driver was distracted. The teens attended Hayden High School and were returning home from a cheerleading clinic at the time of the crash.

The accident occurred on Alabama Highway 160 about 10 miles east of Hayden. The 2006 Chevrolet Malibu was traveling westbound at around 9:10 p.m. Thursday when it struck the tree and went over the embankment.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Ford papers show millions of vehicles at risk of fire

Tedford Taylor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:07:35 GMT

Many fire investigators hired by insurance companies and many other automobile engineers agree that a $20.57 switch, installed in millions of Ford vehicles from 1992 to 2003, is causing some Ford vehicles to ignite. An Iowa family has filed a lawsuit over the defect alleging that the defective switch caused their F-150 pickup to ignite, destroying their house and killing a 74-year-old-woman. Ford has already recalled more than 1 million cars in two seperate recalls, however Ford documents reveal that the switch has been placed in more than 16 million vehicles. NHTSA has received 559 complaints of spontaneous fires and 253 of those fires on on vehicles which have not been recalled.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tedford Taylor

Engine and Parts manufacturers pay $53M in Products case

Tedford Taylor — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:01:15 GMT

A Volusia, Florida jury awarded two men, a flight instructor and former student pilot, $53M against two manufacturers. The jury determined the manufacturers were liable for the airplane crash which caused serious injury to both men. The plaintiffs argued, and the jury agreed, that the manufacturer of the carberator, and the engine maker of the Cessna 150, knew about defects which caused the carburator to fail, engine to stall, and plane to crash. The carburator manufacturer must pay 70% of the personal injury verdict and the engine maker must pay the remaining 30%.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tedford Taylor

Insurers Cheat Customers, Report Record Profits

Tedford Taylor — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:09:05 GMT

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, insurers reported their highest ever profit, $73 billion, up 49 percent from the previous year. With 60 million customers paying more than $50 billiion in premiums per year, homeowners are often surprised to find out that insurers won't pay the full cost of rebuilding their damaged or destroyed home. The insurance companies routinely refuse to pay market prices for homes and replacement contents, they use computer programs to cut payouts, they change policy coverage with no clear explanation, they ignore or alter engineering reports, and they sometimes ask their adjusters to lie to customers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tedford Taylor