DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, recalled its ASR XL Acetabular system hip implants in August 2010 after it was discovered that patients with these implants had a much higher than usual rate of revision surgeries due to device failure and problems such as pain, swelling, trouble walking and hip dislocation. The recall involved 93,000 hip implants worldwide.

in 2010, Johnson & Johnson and DePuy announced the worldwide recall of parts used for hip replacements. Studies pointed to an unusually high rate of revision surgeries connected to the devices. On this edition of Ringler Radio, host Larry Cohen and Attorney Navan Ward, Jr., a Shareholder at the Beasley Allen law firm, take a look at the DePuy Hip Replacement Recall and the litigation surrounding DePuy.

Fosamax is a type of medication known as a bisphosphonate, prescribed for the treatment of bone loss and osteoporosis. In October of 2010 the FDA required all manufacturers of bisphosphonates to include on their label a warning that an increased risk of thigh fractures, specifically low-energy femoral shaft and subtrochanteric fractures, are associated with the drug. Recently, the FDA announced another ongoing safety review for this drug, after studies indicated an increased risk of esophageal cancer linked to the drug. Beasley Allen attorney Chad Cook has been selected to the Plaintiff Steering Committee for the consolidated litigation surrounding Fosamax and femur fractures.

Women of childbearing age who take the prescription medication Topamax should be aware that new studies link the drug to a risk of birth defects. Topamax is prescribed to treat seizures and migraine headaches. Research shows that taking Topamax in the first trimester of pregnancy may cause a woman’s baby to be born with a cleft palate and/or cleft lip. It is important for women who are considering becoming pregnant to talk with their doctors if they are taking Topamax, to discuss the risks versus benefits of continuing this medication.

The FDA is evaluating Actos for a possible link to bladder cancer. Preliminary results from a long-term observational study found an increased risk of bladder cancer in patients with the longest exposure to Actos and the highest cumulative dose of the drug.

A new study has verified the link between the hormone drospirenone, found in the birth control pill Yaz, and an increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots in the lungs. Manufactured by Bayer, Yaz contains the progestin drospirenone. The same hormone is also used in Bayer’s birth control pills Yasmin, Beyaz and Safyral, as well as generics such as Ocella, Gianvi, Loryna, Syeda and Zarah. The study showed the risk for VTE is as much as two to three times higher with drospirenone-containing pills than in pills with other hormone variations. As a result of the study, the FDA has issued a special drug safety notification regarding the hormone.

A new study has verified that antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) increase the risk for birth defects when taken by the mother during pregnancy. SSRIs and combination drugs containing an SSRI include brand names Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Fluvoxamine, and Symbyax. Unborn babies whose mothers take these drugs are at risk of serious birth defects including heart defects and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN).

During the month of May, a focus on Teen Pregnancy Prevention strives to help young women make educated decisions about their health and future. Studies show that more teenagers than ever before are using birth control pills, and that the pill they are choosing most often is Yaz. However, this pill, manufactured by Bayer, contains a unique combination of hormones, which some medical experts say put girls at greater risk for dangerous side effects including blood clots, heart attack and stroke, as well as serious gallbladder problems that may require surgery.

The popular painkiller Darvocet, as well as brand name Darvon and the generic propoxyphene, were pulled from use in the United States last fall when the drug was linked to serious heart rhythm abnormalities. Studies found that even when taken in the recommended dosage, the drug can disrupt the electrical activity of the heart, leading to heart attack or sudden death. The drug has been in use in the U.S. since 1957. It has been prescribed to millions of patients during that time, and may have adversely affected hundreds of thousands of people before it was pulled from use.

In this video from WSFA TV-12, news anchor Valorie Lawson clarifies a report about a lawsuit filed by Beasley Allen on behalf of a family whose mother died after receiving contaminated IV fluid. Although the patient died at Baptist Hospital in Prattville, neither the hospital nor the hospital system are named in the lawsuit. The defendant is Med IV, a pharmaceutical company in Birmingham, Ala., that packaged the IV fluid that was found to contain a bacterial infection. The IV fluid was officially recalled by the company March 24.