Author Archives:
Supreme Court To Decide Generic Drug Preemption Issue After All
I’ve been engrossed in a mesothelioma trial and have fallen behind in blogging. Frequent readers will snarkily note that this is not an uncommon occurrence. However, there has been a major development in generic pharmaceutical litigation. The Supreme Court has granted certiorari (that means accepted) in three Reglan lawsuits. If the Supreme Court rules in [...]
Drug Company Was “Prison Raped” At Hepatitis Trial
The editorial below discusses the $1 billion dollar verdict against drug companies Teva and Baxter. Said one lawyer requesting anonymity, “The defense counsel will get absolutely railroaded by Judge Walsh, and when I say railroaded, I mean prison raped.” Those of us out here in the cheap seats were under the impression hepatitis was spread [...]
Solicitor General Files Brief in Pliva v. Mensing, Rejects Preemption
A little late, but better than never. Especially since the Solicitor General agrees that failure to warn lawsuits against generic manufacturers are not preempted by the FDCA: The court of appeals correctly rejected petitioners’ contention that respondent’s failure-to-warn claims are categorically preempted by the FDCA, and its decision is consistent with the decision of the [...]
Is GlaxoSmithKline the anti-Google?
Google is famous for its motto of “Don’t be evil.” I’m beginning to wonder if GSK has adopted a motto of “Be evil.” In addition to selling Paxil without adequately warning women that it causes birth defects, GSK also knowingly sold Paxil that it knew wouldn’t do anything to help patients: In one of the [...]
Ortho Evra Sales Limericks and Other Pharma Gimmicks
Pharmaceutical companies use cheesy marketing gimmicks to help train their sales people. Rhymes and limericks are perennial favorites. Someone sent me a few of the ones used for Ortho Evra. Get a load of these: The patch contains hormones you knew; EE and NGMN are impregnated in glue. It blocks eggs from a poppin; Changes [...]
Vermont Federal Court Embraces Conte, Holds Brand-Name Manufacturer Liable
Here’s a hypothetical for you: A patient goes to see a doctor about chronic heartburn. The doctor thinks Reglan might be a good choice, so the doctor goes to the Physicians’ Desk Reference and reads the label for Reglan. That label was written by Wyeth, which was the brand-name manufacturer of Reglan. Based upon what [...]
Fentanyl Recall – Actavis Recalls Some 25 mcg/hour Patches
If you use a 25 mcg/hour fentanyl patch, you’ll want to check to see if it’s on this Actavis recall: Actavis identified one lot of 25 mcg/hour Fentanyl patch (Control/Lot # 30349) shipped to market that contained one patch that released its active ingredient faster than the approved specification in laboratory testing. An accelerated release [...]
Dangerous Drugs Made It Into Alltop
I noticed today that Dangerous Drugs made it into the law blog category of Alltop. A very small feather in my cap, but one I’m happy to accept nonetheless. If you have any questions about this blog post – or anything else on this site – please e-mail me at justinian@dangerousdrugs.us
Dr. Elliott On Pharmaceutical Propaganda
I’ve had the opportunity to email Dr. Elliott several times since interviewing him and he’s just an all-around good guy. That sentiment was amplified today when I saw this column on CNN: (CNN) — If you want to understand the way prescription drugs are marketed today, have a look at the 1928 book, "Propaganda," by [...]
$257 Million Dollar Verdict In Risperdal Lawsuit
This is not a good year for Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson lost a $257.7 million jury verdict in Louisiana for making misleading claims about the safety of the company’s Risperdal antipsychotic drug. * * * * The jury found 35,542 violations of the state’s Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law and imposed a penalty [...]
