We have written about the Food & Drug Administration process for “quickie” approval of medical devices provided for in the “501(k) approval process”. This involves a manufacturer asking for approval of its medical device because it is “similar to those already cleared” for use by patients. The 501(k) process allows […]
WEST PALM BEACH, FL (August 31, 2011) — 10 lawyers from Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012. Chris Searcy, Jack Scarola, Greg Barnhart, John Shipley, Chris Speed, Cal Warriner, James Gustafson, Karen Terry, Darryl Lewis and Ed […]
Big Tobacco is not only finding it hot in the great State of Florida, but also in the great State of Connecticut as well. There, a federal court judge, Hon. Stefan Underhill, was asked by RJ Reynolds to overturn a jury verdict for the plaintiff in the amount of $28 […]
In Big Pharma’s constant search for the magic pill, the one that promises relief or a cure for chronic debilitating disease, concerns about side effects, even potentially fatal ones are often dismissed as aberrations, anomalies or not clinically significant. For type 2 diabetics, the two latest magic pills that promised […]
If life weren’t difficult enough for depression sufferers, now there’s more to worry about. The FDA recently alerted psychiatrists and cardiologists that Celexa (Citalopram) has been linked to potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Those taking doses more than 40mg. were at increased risk of developing Torsade de Pointes syndrome which can […]
Not a week goes by without a headline reporting on yet another settlement between a multi-national pharmaceutical company and state or federal prosecutors. Medical device manufacturers are often also frequently subject to similar prosecutions. While it is laudable that governmental authorities are finally taking action against chronic wrongdoers, the frequency […]
Is it the job of investment companies, such as Morgan Stanley, to provide analysis reports about industries with a one-sided slant to them? No, and their recent report on the state of financial exposure to tobacco companies by “Engle Progeny” cases is not one-sided, but in my view, it certainly […]
As technology continues to make its way into our everyday lives, questions begin to arise about the safety of our new “toys.” I guess there will come a time when we are so saturated with new gimmicks that we will simply just hit the wall. At some point, there just […]
On August 10, 2011, Judge John R. Tunheim, District Court Judge in Minneapolis, held a Joint Status Conference for the coordinated mass torts proceeding involving the drug Levaquin. Currently, there are 1,314 individual lawsuits that have been transferred to MDL No. 1943 for pre-trial proceedings. Judge Tunheim has completed two […]
There have been a number of recent developments in the coordinated multi-district federal proceedings (MDL No. 1871) pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Avandia (rosiglitazone): Congestive Heart Failure Claims – Judge Rufe held hearings in late July on […]
