Congress: Vytorin Makers Held Bad News

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Allegations from Congress that drug makers Schering-Plough Corp. and Merck & Co. hid negative research results to boost sales have cast a shadow over the companies' futures.

Heparin recall has doctors watching supply

id="Btext1">Robert Ostfeld, MD, an attending cardiologist at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y., now thinks harder about how doctors at his institution use heparin. Does a particular patient really need it? Would another product be more appropriate?

Jury Awards $226,000 in Mesothelioma Civil Suit

An Indiana County jury this week awarded $226,000 to the family of a man who had been exposed to asbestos while he worked at the Fisher Scientific plant along Indian Springs Road in White Township.

John Ritter doctors cleared in wrongful death lawsuit

It was reported today (March 14, 2008) that two doctors accused of negligence in the death of beloved actor John Ritter have been cleared of all charges by a Glendale, Calif., jury. The physicians, a cardiologist and a radiologist, were under fire in the diagnosis and treatment of the actor, who died of a torn aorta in 2003.

Mesothelioma victim wins $20 million verdict

SAN FRANCISCO-A Dallas, Texas-based law firm today announced a $20 million civil verdict in an asbestos lawsuit on behalf of Joan Mahoney, 69-year-old victim of mesothelioma, a painful and debilitating form of cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, and Daniel Mahoney, her husband of 42 years.

Dangerous skin reactions from Carbamazepine

A March 2008 FDA patient safety news bulletin reiterated warnings to healthcare professionals about dangerous and possibly fatal skin reactions to the drug carbamazepine in certain patient populations. Reactions include Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Wyeth, Pfizer ordered to pay $27 million in punitive damages

A Little Rock, Ark., federal jury found Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Upjohn (a Pfizer unit) liable for $27 million in punitive damages to Donna Scroggin, who sued the drug manufacturers in 2004 after developing breast cancer after taking hormone-replacement therapy. The award includes $19.3 million from Wyeth and $7.7 from Upjohn.

Victory for victims of secondary asbestos exposure

Following a ruling by a Washington State Court of Appeals, victims of secondary asbestos exposure have enjoyed a hard earned victory - The ruling will make it easier for those exposed to asbestos as the result of the work of family members living in the same home to make a claim for their asbestos related diseases such as asbestos cancer, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Vaccine settlement complex, may not be first

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- For those convinced that vaccines can cause autism, the sad case of a Georgia girl, daughter of a doctor and lawyer, seems like clear-cut evidence. The government has agreed to pay the girl's family for injury caused by vaccines.

Asbestos: Woman sues after developing mesothelioma

Frances Barras of Nederland, Texas, along with her husband and five children, has sued DuPont and several asbestos manufacturers because she has developed mesothelioma from washing and handling her husband's asbestos-contaminated work clothes for many years.