Not every player in the next big tort is representing a client

The Vioxx litigation has attracted big names from the mass tort bar. And, though he’s not among plaintiffs counsel, per se, the lineup now includes Mr. Civil Action. That, of course, is Jan Schlichtmann. The Massachusetts plaintiffs lawyer became nationally known in the 1980s, when he represen…

Heparin contamination may have been deliberate, FDA says

WASHINGTON - Federal drug regulators believe that a contaminant detected in a crucial blood thinner that has caused 81 deaths was added deliberately, something the Food and Drug Administration has only hinted at previously.

Extra ingredients prompt Digitek digoxin recall

The fact that the heart failure treatment drug Digitek (Digoxin) may contain twice the approved level of active ingredient than is appropriate has prompted Digitek recall by Actavis Totowa.

U.S. identifies tainted heparin in 11 countries

WASHINGTON - A contaminated blood thinner from China has been found in drug supplies in 11 countries, and federal officials said Monday they had discovered a clear link between the contaminant and severe reactions now associated with 81 deaths in the United States.

FDA thinks it has trigger in heparin deaths

New tests suggest how a contaminant in heparin - a blood thinner - may be connected to dozens of deaths, FDA officials said Monday.

Vioxx criticism may tarnish Merck but settlement safe

Renewed criticism of Merck & Co's handling of its withdrawn pain drug Vioxx may further tarnish the drugmaker's image but is not about to scuttle its multibillion-dollar deal to settle thousands of personal injury lawsuits brought by former Vioxx users.

Heparin is now suspected in 62 fatalities across the U.S.

The number of suspicious deaths in the United States linked to the blood thinner heparin has risen to 62 from 19, with most of them reported this past December, January and February, according to the first detailed analyses of heparin fatalities by the Food and Drug Administration.

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?

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.