New studies are now telling that SSRI antidepressants such as Paxil and Effexor may not be the best option for seniors. The drugs seem to have more negative side effects for seniors. Drugs like Paxil and Effexor are in a class of medications commonly known as "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)," that have been linked to many adverse side effects. The new British study appeared in the August 2, 2011 issue of the British Medical Journal stating that older antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, might be safer for patients over 65-years-old.

 

According to the study's author Carol Coupland, associate professor of medical statistics at the University of Nottingham states, "The choice of class of antidepressant is a complex decision, and some evidence is still lacking to help with that choice in older patients," she continued, "Low-dose [tricyclic antidepressants] may be more suitable in frail elderly patients at increased risk of falls and fracture."

 

During the study, prescription information was evaluated for over 60,000 patents between 65 and 100-years-old who had been diagnosed with depression. Of those patients, 90 percent were given one or more prescriptions. Of that 90 percent, 55 percent were given SSRI antidepressants like Effexor or Paxil. The other 32 percent were prescribed tricyclic antidepressants. The rest of the patients were prescribed other antidepressants. The results of the study show that seniors on SSRIs had a "higher risk of dying, having a stroke, falling, breaking a bone and seizures compared with those not taking any antidepressant."

 

The results have proven to be scary for many seniors being prescribed SSRIs to combat their depression. While the side effects are scary, one important factor should be taken to heart: Tricyclics are better for senior citizens than SSRIs. Still the results from this and previous studies prove that those taking antidepressants and those on a placebo pill have the same efficiency. As an experienced Missouri product liability attorney, I regularly see the pain and confusion that product liability victims go through. I am happy that a support group has been set up to help these families find comfort and prepare for what is to come. Lawsuits for the product liability of drugs like Paxil have increased dramatically.

 

Our experienced product liability attorneys in the Midwest believe that companies like the makers of Paxil should be held responsible for the harm that their drugs cause. We believe people who have suffered illness and injury from medication should be compensated for their loss. If a manufacturer has misrepresented you or a loved one has been injured by a medication that was not properly manufactured or the side effects, please call 888.956.2487 to speak to one of our experienced product liability attorneys today.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, toymaker Battat, Inc., and Heath Canada have issued a recall on a set of toy car keys attached to a car remote. The reason for the recall is the plastic ring, which holds the keys and remote together, can become a choking hazard.

Nearly 1,080,000 of these toys were sold in the United States and nearly 3,600 in Canada. The key ring toys are oversized plastic and metal "keys" attached to the plastic key ring. This key ring hangs from the car remote with a speaker and oversized buttons. When the buttons are pushed, the remote makes noises. As of now there have only been 17 reports of the key rings falling apart.

The recall covers product numbers H26300-01 or H58000-01. The toymaker, Battat, Inc., recommends if parents have purchased this toy to remove it from the child. Once the toy is out of the possession of the child, call the toymaker to make arrangements to send the toy for a replacement. Parents trust that the toys they buy meet the safety requirements so their children are not in harms way.

Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe for consumers. If a defective product injures you, the manufacturer of the product should be held liable. If a recalled toy product in Missouri has injured you or a loved one, contact our experienced product liability attorneys at 800.956.2487. You and your family may be entitled to compensation as a result of the harmful product.

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

It is a well-known fact that Reglan, an acid reflux medication, may cause tardive dyskinesia (TD) in patients if the drug is taken for more than 12 weeks. However, the drug Reglan has been given to help breastfeeding mothers increase lactation. Reglan has been found to help new mothers who are having problems producing milk for their breastfeeding babies. The off-label use does not have a specific dosage, but new mothers have been given 30 mgs a day, which is close to the same dosage of 30-40 mgs heartburn patients take.

Since a person using Reglan for heartburn and a mother using Reglan for lactation are the same, both are at risk for developing TD. The only variable is the purpose the drug is serving, therefore the risks are still the same. The reason the risks are the same is because of the length of time the medication is prescribed may vary, but the effects of the drugs may be more severe in some and less in others. Before Reglan was released, the FDA only approved its use for 12 weeks at a time, which means that women who are breastfeeding are at an even higher risk for developing TD because of the timeframe spent breastfeeding. The question that many Missouri personal injury attorneys are asking is what about the baby?

There is no conclusive evidence on whether a breastfeeding child is at risk for developing TD or other Reglan-related conditions, which means that more studies will need to be conducted. If you are a breastfeeding mother who is taking Reglan and notice symptoms associated with TD, Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, Parkinson's Disease, ocular deviation, or biepharaospasm please contact your doctor immediately. After you have spoken with your doctor, speak to Missouri product liability attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for you.

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Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

As an accident injury attorney in Missouri, I have seen accidents of all kinds including ones that involve kitchen appliances. Deondre Watson, Jr. died July 11, 2010, when the stove fell on him in an incident that is rare, very preventable, and an ongoing problem, which prompted campaigns to raise awareness. Security experts that studied the case say a simple act of mounting the stove with a bracket would save him.

 

The story behind this unfortunate story is a known issue at national level. Throughout the county, many have died because of similar incidents since 1980. In addition, the deaths or injury since1980, most of include burns when hot materials are spilled during the accident. This is very frustrating for personal injury attorneys who have tried for years to get people to understand and act to prevent the dangerous accidents by installing a mounting bracket.

 

Fred Pritzker, a personal injury attorney in Minneapolis, has represented several families who have lost their loved ones to rollover accidents stated, "This is something that should never happen. We've known about this lurking disaster in homes for years. Yet it's inexpensive and easy to fix." Reversing the epidemic began in the 1980s when manufacturers began to manufacture lighter stoves. Finally, the industry committed to an easy fix with anti-tip brackets. In 1991 manufacturers began to include anti-tip brackets to support new stoves. The challenge still at hand is getting homeowners and property owners to use the life-saving brackets.

 

In mid-September 2010, the parents of two-year-old Deondre Jr., have filed a case of suspicious death in the St. Louis County Circuit Court. The suit names Oak Tree Apartments, where the family resided, as a Defendant. Also named, as the Defendant is the owner of the apartment complex. The Plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for the wrongful death of their young child. If you have lost a family member due to the negligence of someone else, please call 888.956.2487 to speak to an experienced personal injury attorney. We know losing a loved one is one of the worst things anyone can experience, but it is made worse when the accident could have been prevented. Let us fight on your behalf so you can spend time with your family during this troubled time.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles claims that result in personal injury or death throughout the Midwest. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another, please contact a personal injury attorney to learn your rights.  It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

A manufacturer of medical products recalled iodine wipes due to the Federal Drug Administration's concerns that the medication has been infected with an organism called Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, according to the website Examiner.com. The bacterium has caused many very serious infections in humans, which includes pneumonia in patients with respiratory problems, meningitis in infants, and a disease commonly referred to as the flesh-eating disease.

 

The wipes, which are used to prepare for surgery and to help prevent infections in cuts and burns, are packaged under the names Medical Specialties, Cardinal Health, Triad Plus, North Safety, Triad, VHA, and Total Resources. The recall was issued after one nonlife-threatening skin infection was reported after use.

 

Before the recall of the iodine pads in February, executives with the medical products manufacturer notified its customers, employees, and vendors that they were no longer producing lubricating jelly or alcohol wipes, which was also contaminated. Currently, there is an investigation by the FDA and many pending lawsuits against the company due to the defective product. One of the lawsuit claimants is a couple whose two-year-old child died after surgery from bacterial meningitis.

 

Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe for consumers. If a defective product injures you, the manufacturer of the product should be held liable. If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled medication or product in Missouri, contact our experienced product liability attorneys at 800-956-2487. You and your family may be entitled to compensation as a result of the harmful product.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

The federal government receives thousands of complaints from the public about dangerous products on the market each year. According to the Washington Post, for the first time in history, those complaints will be available to the public. As a product liability attorney in the Midwest, I was happy to hear that the public will be able to view these reports.

 

Beginning in March 2011, the complainants will be available online at www.saferproducts.gov courtesy of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). This program was adopted in legislation in 2008, but took time to implement. Previously, if consumers wanted to learn about safety complaints they had to file applications with the CPSC. Now the topic was posted within 15 days of receipt when a consumer files a complaint, the CPSC is required to notify the manufacturer within five days and they have 10 days to respond. The manufacture's response to all complaints will be published online.

 

The database contains no details of who complained or complaints about product quality - it may only contain information about errors that can cause damage. The database will include consumer products not involving food, drugs, or automobiles. If you plan to buy a product, this database can be very useful in alerting you that consumers have suffered other injuries during use. There are people in the industry that are worried that the database will contain fictitious complaints from competitors. Proponents of the database, noting that it will provide an early warning system for consumers.

 

In Missouri, product liability attorneys work tirelessly to make sure that their clients' rights are not infringed upon. Injuries from consumer products can be devastating to any family, which is why product liability victims should seek the guidance of an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for your rights.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Many liability lawsuits were filed against the giants of manufacturing drugs such as Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth, and GlaxoSmithKline. In 2010, billions of dollars have been settled between these companies and product liability victims. These claims have one thing in common: they appear because the Plaintiffs accuse the drug makers of retaining data that showed popular drugs like Effexor, Paxil, Levaquin, Reglan and Yaz/Yasmin had devastating and potentially life-threatening side effects.

 

SSRI antidepressants like Paxil and Effexor caught fire over the allegation that they had hidden the serious side effects such as seizures, hallucinations, birth defects, persistent pulmonary hypertension, severe mood swings, and even suicidal tendencies. In fact, the manufacturer of Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline, paid no less than $ 1 billion in damages to settled claims against various drugs, including a 750 million dollar settlement has exceeded its "bad" manufacturing processes for Glaxo's plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico. Disclosure of wrongdoing in that case recently appeared on 60 Minutes.

 

Johnson & Johnson lost their final trial related to the antibiotic Levaquin, which became popular in 2010. Eighty-two year old applicant John Schedin won his claim that the company did not adequately disclose the fact that the drug caused tendon rupture in some patients. In addition, Bayer has made a series of trials that have not yet been decided on the pill Yaz and Yasmin. In these lawsuits, Plaintiffs allege that Bayer hid the fact that the pills could cause heart attacks, stroke, and blood clots.

 

All these companies have been accused of hiding the negative effects that these drugs can have on the public. Some companies are accused of going out of their way to hide this information completely and others accused of black-box warnings buried deep within the package documents. Still, other companies have been accused of using clever marketing techniques as a means of hiding serious side effects of their drugs to the public.

 

While the future of all these lawsuits can not be determined before they are settled or go to court, one thing remains certain: 2010 was a year of landmark lawsuits filed against drug manufacturers. As a product liability attorney in the Midwest, I am pleased that the FDA took the steps necessary to inform the public of the serious side effects of the drugs in question. If you or someone in your family was injured by a prescription drug with defects or labeling error, call 888.945.2487 for a free consultation with an experienced product liability attorney.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Missouri product liability attorneys have written much about the recalls surrounding DePuy's artificial hip replacements ASR XL Acetabular and ASR Hip Resurfacing systems. Safety advocates and others believe a possible recall of the DePuy Pinnacle Acetabulum hip replacement system. DePuy's Pinnacle hip replacement uses a metal-metal design found in ASR systems already recalled. A growing number of complaints have expressed concern with the Pinnacle system.

 

The Pinnacle system has not been recalled, but patients who experience pain and other problems related to DePuy's Pinnacle implant should be discussed with your doctor and a product liability attorney immediately. According to DePuy, the Pinnacle was designed "to help provide a more fluid range of natural movement." A 2002 investigation, cited on the firm's website, revealed that about 99.9 percent of components in the Pinnacle Hip system remain in use, so a potential recall of this device to affect a large number of people.

 

Regardless of Depuy's desire to put the recall behind them, there are still several thousands of people in the U.S. who are not aware of the risk. If you had a hip replacement done, please contact your doctor to find out if you are at risk from a recall. Your next step is to hire an experienced product liability attorney to fight for you. Call 888.956.2487 to speak to an attorney today to schedule a free consultation.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

An attorney for a man accused of threatening conduct has stated that his client was under the influence of a Klonopin, Paxil, and alcohol cocktail. Nathan Jackson Fuller Jr. lied to police after he crashed his car and threatening to go on a killing spree across the state of West Virginia. Fuller's attorney stated that he hoped that the charges would be dropped once he proves his client's statements to police held no truth. Fuller made the decision to waive his right to a preliminary hearing on May 16 in a Marion County Magistrate Court. John David Moore, Fuller's alleged accomplice, has been listed as a codefendant in the case. The magistrate believes there is probably cause to try a case against Moore however Moore's attorney insists his client's innocence.

 

Both men have been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit murder. After Fuller collided his car on May 3 in Rivesville, injuring Moore, Fuller allegedly began stating oddities to the arresting officer as he was being arrested for driving under the influence. It was at that time Fuller confessed he was planning to go on a killing spree.

 

Allegedly Fuller began citing his plans on "going through West Virginia and killing people at random, stopping at a rest area, locating a few girls, and cutting them, stealing their wallets, and then stealing their vehicle, and continue that process, flipping cars." Fuller also stated he had been looking for someone to murder on High Street in Morgantown and killing someone at Penn State University earlier that day, but had not found the chance to do so. Fuller claimed he and Moore met up in Morgantown.

 

According to Fuller's attorney, his client was taking Paxil and Klonopin. Paxil is an antidepressant, which has been linked to suicidal and aggressive behaviors. Klonopin is prescribed to relieve panic attacks and treat seizures. Moore's attorney claims that his client never had the intention of killing anyone or helping Fuller on his spree. Fuller tried to reduce his bail amount but was denied and was returned to the North Central Regional Jail after his preliminary hearing.

 

A healthy lifestyle has been proven to alleviate depression, but it does not always relieve major depression. Many people have been prescribed Paxil, but have suffered severe side effects such as Fuller. Injuries from a prescription drug can be complicated, which is why victims should work with an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let us help you fight.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

-->The German company Bayer, which manufactures Yasmin and Yaz, tried to blame their recent stock market loss on the expiration of their patent. However analysts believe that the decrease in shares was not caused by the revocation of the patent. According to Bayer, the European Patent Office revoked the company's patent after the generic drug Novartis filed an appeal against the decision to uphold the patent in 2006. The revoke brought shares for Bayer down to 1.6% lower.

 

The patent protects the procedure to lower the amount of particles in the pills active ingredient and was supposed to last until 2020. However with the recent revoke the patent might give generic versions a chance to release this year. A JP Morgan analyst expects to see Hexal, a generic version of the drug, release sometime this year. The patent for Yasmin products from the Glaxo manufacturer was revoked in America because of a number of pending lawsuits for its harmful side effects. After the patent was revoked in America, the sales for both Yaz and Yasmin declined 13% from the previous year. Analysts believe that the European revoke will have a similar effect.

 

A brokerage firm stated, "In Germany the pricing is dramatically lower than in the U.S. at 7.5 euros per month compared to the U.S. at 54 euros per month, which could lead to more brand loyalty allowing Bayer to retain more share." Insurance companies in Europe would like to prevent patients from choosing to buy the generic versions of Yasmin or Yaz. The main reason is that most women pay out of pocket for the contraceptives. Even though the revocation of the European patent was not good for Bayer and others, it was inevitable following the American revocation. Unfortunately many women have suffered from the drug's side effects, which leave many wondering why the drug has not been pulled from the market.

 

In product liability cases, experienced Missouri attorneys work tirelessly to make sure that their clients receive compensation for their injuries. Injuries from a prescription medication can be devastating to any family, which is why product liability victims should seek the guidance of an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for you.

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

 

New information has been provided by a paper published in The Lancet establishing that researchers, Ian B. Hickie and Naomi L. Rogers, are currently watching how melatonin and its analogues chance the body's circadian system (internal clock) while providing treatment for major depression. This new information may make patients consider forgoing the use of SSRI treatments like Paxil and Effexor. The new treatment, Agomelatine, is an analogue that is showing much promise to the treatment of major depression. Simply it offers the same level of depression relief as medications like Paxil and Effexor, but it comes with an added bonus. Agomelatine can also help sleep pattern improvement in people under the treatment.

 

Both of the authors of this research have stated that one of the biggest causes of disability and early death are caused by major depression. Although the drug market has many medication treatments that work, they also come with limitations as to what they can and cant do. The current treatments also come with side effects that can be severe. The authors of the paper state, "Recent advances in our understanding of the fundamental links between chronobiology and major mood disorders, as well as the development of new drugs that target the circadian system, have led to a renewed focus on this area."

 

The research points to other evidence that supports the strong link between common symptoms of depression and circadian problems. Symptoms include restless sleep, waking early, daytime fatigue, trouble sleeping among many others. To the researchers, these symptoms created a natural curiosity and began the investigation into melatonin and medications that treat depression. The researches also stated, "In the short-term, agomelatine has similar antidepressant efficacy to venlafaxine, fluoxetine, and sertraline and, in the longer term, fewer patients on agomelatine relapse (24 percent) than do those receiving placebo (50 percent). Patients with depression treated with agomelatine report improved sleep quality and reduced waking after sleep onset." Currently Agomelatine is approved in Europe, the United States, and Australia in which patients have seen a major improvement in treatment of depression.

 

Even though a healthy life change can help alleviate depression, there are many who will still need to depend on antidepressant treatment. Injuries from prescription drugs can be complicated, which is why victims should work with an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney after discovering a product has caused injury, please call 888.956.2487 and let us help you fight.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

The popular antibiotic, Levaquin, was once at the top of the game, but many people wonder if the addition of generic versions of the drug combined with the several lawsuits may be the end of Johnson & Johnson's profit and domination of the antibiotic market. In 2006, Johnson & Johnson surpassed $1.4 billion in annual sales of Levaquin in America alone. For a long time, the drug was the most prescribed antibiotic on the market and sales increased by 1.7 percent in 2007 as news of possible tendon ruptures associated with drug. By 2009, sales of the popular antibiotic dropped by 6 percent, but that was just the beginning of the downfall. Competing antibiotics along with the side effects helped cause the major drop in sales for Johnson & Johnson.

 

The negative attention on Johnson & Johnson and their popular drug will continue through 2011 when most of the lawsuits against the company will end up in the courtroom near the end of the year. Unfortunately that is not the only problem Johnson & Johnson is face with when it comes to the drug Levaquin. In June, the patent on Levaquin will expire and many of the generic versions will be released to the public. The Food and Drug Administration approved a generic version of Levaquin made available by Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co. Inc. The generic versions are expected to take an even bigger cut out of Johnson & Johnson's profits.

 

The trials against Johnson & Johnson and Levaquin are set to being this summer. One plaintiff, John Schedin, has already received a verdict in the amount of $1.8 million for punitive damages. Schedin suffered two torn Achillies tendons after taking Levaquin and that was the basis of his claim. In early 2009, the Food and Drug Administration issued a black box warning involving the risk of ruptured tendons. But for many patients that have suffered from tendon ruptures, the warning didn't come soon enough.

 

In product liability cases, experienced Missouri attorneys work tirelessly to make sure that their clients receive compensation for their injuries. Injuries from a prescription medication can be devastating to any family, which is why product liability victims should seek the guidance of an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for you.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Earlier in the month, the British Medical Journal published two studies that, Yaz, the popular oral contraceptive might be riskier than any other birth control on the market. However, Bayer has denied these accusations since putting the drug on the market. The results of the two studies coincide with studies that were previously released in the United States.

 

Both studies may have served as the smoking gun that supports plaintiffs in their Yaz lawsuits. The main study conducted in the United States was performed by research from Boston University's School of Medicine's Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program. The studies showed that women who take Yaz have more than twice the chance of developing blood clots than women who take other forms of birth control pills. The main ingredient, drosperinone a (synthetic progestin), is the dangerous part of the drug. Most of the other birth controls on the market use a different synthetic progestin named levonorgestrel. Before Yaz hit the market, levonorgestrel was the main ingredient in birth control pills.

 

The study in the British Medical Journal concluded that, different from the U.S. study, states that women on Yaz are three times more likely to develop blood clots than from other oral contraceptives. These studies came out a little over a week after the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study involving 2.7 million American women. This study showed the 20 percent of the woman taking Yaz developed gallbladder problems, which has gained much attention. Evidence against Yaz and Bayer are piling up, but even with all the evidence it still remains the most popular oral contraceptive.

 

Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe for consumers. If a defective product injures you, the manufacturer of the product should be held liable. If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled medication or product in Missouri, contact our experienced product liability attorneys at 800.956.2487. You and your family may be entitled to compensation as a result of the harmful product.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

In recent studies on mice, Rockefeller University scientists have discovered that patients who take anti-inflammatory medications minimize the effective compounds in various antidepressant medications, which include Paxil. Paul Greengard and Jennifer Warner-Schmidt found that ibuprofen, naproxen, and other over-the-counter medication lower the benefits of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. These experts believe that the study is most important for Alzheimer's patients. The reason Alzheimer's patients are believed to be at risk is that they suffer from depression and treatment for the disorder alievates the severity that Alzheimer's progresses. However, not just Alzheimer's patients are at risk. Many elderly individuals are treated for depression to reduce the chances of getting Alzheimer's.

 

In the course of the study, the researchers gave mice popular antidepressants while also giving them anti-inflammatory drugs to see how the animals would react. The mice given anti-depressants illustrated behaviors that were inhibited by taking anti-inflammatories. After this phase in the research had been completed, the scientists ran the same test on human patients. The people who took anti-depressants and anti-inflammatory medications were not getting relief from their symptoms as patients who didn't take the anti-inflammatories.

 

The scientist, Warner-Schmidt, summed up the research stating, "The mechanism underlying these effects is not yet clear. Nevertheless, our results may have profound implications for patients, given the very high treatment resistance rates for depressed individuals taking SSRIs."

 

"Many elderly individuals suffering from depression also have arthritic or related diseases and as a consequence are taking both antidepressant and anti-inflammatory medications," Greengard added to his colleague statement. "Our results suggest that physicians should carefully balance the advantages and disadvantages of continuing anti-inflammatory therapy in patients being treated with antidepressant medications."

 

Even though a healthy life change can help relieve depression, there are many who will still need to depend on their antidepressant medication. Injuries from a prescription drug can be complicated, which is why victims should work with an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let us help you fight.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Extra Strength Tylenol and Tylenol PM as well as other drugs containing acetaminophen could be dangerous to your health leading to kidney or liver conditions. Acetaminophen, which is found in over-the-counter medicine for pain and fever reduction, has not been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but they have taken several steps to reduce the possible risks from patient overuse. However the action by the FDA apply to only to prescription formulations and not the OTC drugs.

 

Overuse of the acetaminophen has been linked with several cases of severe liver injury and toxicity, which can even lead to death. Acetaminophen is often recommended by health care professionals for patients with a fever or in pain because it is easy on the stomach and more affordable than stronger pain relievers. Because the drug is so widely used and perceived as safe, it is commonly taken over the counter by individuals without thinking about the long-term effects of taking too much. Currently, overuse of acetaminophen is the leading cause for organ transplants in patients.

 

Earlier this year, the FDA limited the use of acetaminophen in prescription drugs to protect consumers, but these actions do not affect OTC products that contain the drug. Dr. William Lee, director of the Clinical Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, stated "Too much acetaminophen in the system at one time or over an extended period can cause serious liver damage or can lead to liver failure and even death. About 100 people die annually of accidental acetaminophen poisoning and another 15,000 end up in the emergency rooms from unknowingly taking too much."

 

Despite the warnings and advisories from the FDA, consumers still face a risk when self-medicating with acetaminophen. In March, a 49-year-old man from Florida died from failure of the liver and kidney, which was caused by taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen to alleviate a toothache for several weeks. Because the man did not have health insurance, he couldn't afford treatment took as many as eight pills a day for the pain.

 

Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe for consumers and warn them of any harmful effects. If a recalled product injures you, the manufacturer of the product should be held liable for your injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled medication or product in Missouri, contact our experienced product liability attorneys at 800.956.2487. You and your family may be entitled to compensation as a result of the injuries sustained from the recalled product.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Antidepressant medications have received a bad reputation from the harmful side effects that they produce. With all the lawsuits that have been filed against Effexor and Paxil, popular antidepressant makers, is it best for patients to use natural treatments?

 

Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand. When people are looking to cure their anxiety and depression signs, most of them in turn to prescription drugs. In fact, a study published in the Journal Archives of General Psychiatry, said that 10 percent of the U.S. population is on antidepressants such as Paxil or Effexor. This means that approximately 31 million people in the U.S. alone are taking these medications. The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study, which showed that antidepressants are working, but they work no better than placebo pills.

 

A study conducted by the U.S. government 2006 revealed that less than half of those taking antidepressants like Paxil and Effexor experienced a decrease in the signs of depression. What is even worse, George Washington University Health Care Analyst Thomas Moore, who reviewed the unpublished studies from drug companies, says 40 percent of the studies focused on the power of antidepressants but did not submit information regarding the drug not working.

 

These study results and more have caused many physicians to believe that the simple life changes can be more encouraging in the fight against depression. "Doctors are now medicating unhappiness," says Dr. Ronald Dworkin. "Too many people use drugs when they need to be making changes in their lives." If the pills are not working, a simple lifestyle change may be the solution. The best part about taking advantage of a more natural type of depression relief is that it can also prevent the dangerous side effects of antidepressants.

           

Even though a healthy life change can help relieve depression, there are many who will still need to depend on their antidepressant medication. Injuries from a prescription drug can be complicated, which is why victims should work with an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let us help you fight.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission ruled in 2006 that children's clothing with drawstrings in hood or around the neck should be recalled since they posed a risk to children. The CPSC also put other specific pieces with drawstrings on the recall list at the same time. Unfortunately the major department store continued to sell clothing with drawstrings including the specific garments that were a part of the recall between 2006 and 2010. Macy's was aware of the recall. The sales were made in stores owned by Macy's, inc. including Bloomingdale's, Macy's, and Robinson-May stores.

When a company continues to sell a recalled product can be prosecuted and face civil lawsuits. Even though Macy's has offered to pay the $750,000 fine, the company denies knowing that the clothing had been recalled. Product recalls are unnerving when the product is for children because children cannot recognize the hazard. If a defective product has injured you, please call one of our experienced Missouri personal injury attorneys at 888.956.2487.

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Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles claims that result in personal injury or death throughout the Midwest. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another, please contact a personal injury attorney to learn your rights.  It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

As a personal injury attorney in Missouri, it is important that everyone know of the possible dangers of drinking fruit and vegetable juice. According to the Food and Drug Administration, although drinking fruit and vegetable juices can be a healthy dietary choice, there have been numerous reports of food borne illness outbreaks as a result of drinking juice that is not properly pasteurized. Although drinking fruit and vegetable juices will not cause a problem for most people, children, the elderly, and people with health problems are at a higher risk of contracting a food borne illness.

 

Fortunately, the majority of juices sold in grocery stores are properly treated to kill bacteria. Since 1999, the FDA requires juices that are not pasteurized to be labeled as such. However, fresh squeezed juices sold by the glass are not required to be labeled. Always read the labels of any juice you purchase in order to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of unpasteurized juice.

 

Be extra cautious and aware of the symptoms that are commonly associated with food borne illness. The incubation period for food borne bacteria can vary between one to three days of consumption, but there are many cases where the symptoms begin as soon as 20 minutes to six weeks after consumption. Several symptoms of food borne illness include vomiting, headaches stomach pain, fever, diarrhea and body aches.

 

Food manufacturers have a responsibility to provide safe products for consumers. If you have contracted a food borne illness from unsafe food practices, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness and medical bills. Contact a Missouri personal injury attorney at 888.956.2487 for a free consultation to discuss your Missouri personal injury claim.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due negligence, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

As a product liability attorney in the Midwest, I was unhappy to see the reports of death and serious illness of a prescription painkiller.  MedPage Today reported on January 11, 2011 that the Food and Drug Administration has ordered new labels for a popular oral morphine sulfate medication marketed by Roxane Laboratories. The medicine was marked at 100 mg/ml, which apparently confused some patients prescribed the medication. The confusion led to a several drug overdoses as many as 20 times the amount recommended and caused deaths and serious illness according to the FDA. The 100 mg/ml dosage of the drug may also have been perceived as a less concentrated version, which lead to the overdoses. The agency has commissioned a new label to distinguish morphine sulfate 100 mg/ml as less powerful version of the drug. It comes with a syringe that gives the right dosage making it easier to use.

 

Morphine has been sold many times in the 20^th century, but the preparation of morphine sulfate sold by Roxana wasn't approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010 because the manufacturers never applied for FDA approval. The approval was important because morphine is a potent painkiller with a high potential for abuse and overdose. At high doses, morphine can cause respiratory problems that lead to death or brain damage. The dose of 100 mg/ml morphine sulfate solution that required the label change is already a high dose. The drug is for people who are known to have a tolerance to opioid and need a higher dose and for those receiving care from a hospice provider. The old label that has made the issue worse by giving the dosage in mg/ml, although the doses are ordered in mg. Consequently, those unfamiliar with the drug dosages given in ml increases the drug's already considerable power.

 

As a product liability attorney in the Midwest, I am pleased that the FDA is taking these steps. Most Americans do not use the metric system, so it is not surprising that some users were confused by the instructions of the doses of morphine. If you or someone in your family was injured by a prescription drug with defects or labeling error, call 888.945.2487 for a free consultation with an experienced product liability attorney.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

 

The whistleblower in the civil class action against GlaxoSmithKline, Cheryl Eckard, recently appeared on the newest episode of 60 minutes to discuss the case with the interviewer Scott Pelley. During the interview, said she was fired after officials urged Glaxo to do something about the conditions in a Glaxo plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico. She noted that from August 2002 until she was fired in May 2003, she had tried to get managers of the Glaxo to close the plant for as Pelley referred to as making "bad medicine." Pelley talked about what he claimed Eckard found was wrong with the production and packaging of drugs such as Paxil and Avandia during a survey she held that led her to act. He was referring to her claims that the facility:

• Mixed Avandia and Paxil together in the same packaging

• Shipped packages of Paxil with the wrong dosages

• Used tainted water in the production of the two popular drugs.

 

Eckard ended up having to file a full report to the Compliance Department at Glaxo when her managers continued to ignore her warnings about the dangerous practices. Ultimately, Eckard said they acted as if her complaints about the plant were not substantiated. This is what led her to report the situation to FDA officials in San Juan. She also suggested that these actions are what got her fired. In a press release, Glaxo denied the implications stating, "The company strongly rejects any claim of retaliation for whistle-blowing...In fact, employees are encouraged to report any concerns they might have to management or through a confidential compliance hotline. Issues raised are investigated, and company policy prohibits retaliation against employees."

 

Following these allegations against the Cidra plant, the Glaxo group settled the class action lawsuits for $750 million. From the settlement amount, $150 million dollars went toward fines and $600 million collectively went to the Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit. Whistleblower Eckard received $96 million dollars for her claim that the company fired her in retaliation. Lawsuits for the product liability of drugs like Avandia have increased dramatically. Our experienced product liability attorneys in the Midwest believe that companies like GlaxoSmithKline should be held responsible for the harm that their drugs cause. We believe people who have suffered illness and injury from medication should be compensated for their loss. If you or a loved one has been injured by a medication that was not properly manufactured or the side effects have been misrepresented by a manufacturer, please call 888.956.2487 to speak to one of our experienced product liability attorneys today.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

 

Bayer, the makers of a controversial birth-control pill Yasmin and Yaz has funded a new study showing that even if Yaz is dangerous, the pills that contain drosperinone are better for protecting women from unwanted pregnancies. The study found that birth control pills that make use of a drug-free time for a shorter period (drosperinone stays longer in the blood), mix those pills containing drosperinone like Yaz, may also act as a diuretic because drosperinone is a long-term progestogen. Right now, Yaz, Yasmin and Beyaz are the only drugs on the market, which may contain drosperinone.

 

Basically, Bayer paid German researchers to study a database that had over 52,000 records of women who were taking Yaz. The study was conducted by comparing the failure rates or the number of unwanted pregnancies that occur in women taking different oral contraceptives. According to information from the study, women taking pills containing drosperinone had less failure than those with other progestins.

 

While such news should be worthy of being celebrated for Bayer, but it does not overlook the fact that the company has thousands of lawsuits that were filed against them by women who have suffered adverse side effects of Yaz or Yasmin . Some of these side effects include heart problems, gallbladder problems, stroke and blood clots. Although there are many studies showing the dangers of drugs such as Yaz, which contains drosperinone, Bayer does not care. In an earlier statement made to address the risks of Yaz, Bayer's then counsel, David Stewart, said: "The reality is that Yaz and Yasmin are much more aggressive form of birth control drugs than previous generations"

 

Bayer executives remain fully convinced that all birth control pills contain the potential to cause serious health risks. Indeed, Bayer is so firm in that conviction that they have launched more drugs that use Safyral, droperinone, and Beyaz. One thing is certain: while Bayer is ready and willing to defend their oral drugs against all claims and complaints against them, the new study does nothing to help the company see the error of their ways. In any case, this new study Bayer simply encouraged to think that has done nothing wrong. For Bayer, at least, the risks are worth it.

 

In product liability cases, experienced Missouri attorneys work tirelessly to make sure that their clients receive compensation for their injuries. Injuries from a prescription medication can be devastating to any family, which is why product liability victims should seek the guidance of an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for you.


Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Pfizer has made headlines in recent years with the controversy surrounding drugs like Effexor. In 2008 Akrimax bought the manufacturing plant in Rouses Point, New York, which sold because the demand for Wyeth's Premarin, a drug to treat menopause symptoms, dropped in demand. Since Akrimax bought the plant, it has been manufacturing Effexor among several other medications. Now Pfizer plans to buy back the plant.

 

When Akrimax first made the deal, the company leased some manufacturing space to Wyeth so it could continue making both Effexor XR and Premarin. In 2009 Pfizer bought Wyeth, but the deal did not change with the sale. Akrimax used its part of the manufacturing plant to make several over-the-counter creams, medications, and ointments. Several different reports verify the agreement between Pfizer and Akrimax to buy back the plant after Akrimax's plan to expand operations fell short. Akrimax's oversaturated the market making it difficult to sell the drugs they manufacture fast enough.

 

Chris Loder, a spokesperson for Pfizer told the Press Republican that "Akrimax's departure, which is due to take place in the next few weeks, will see around 60 of the 400 people employed at the facility lose their jobs. While Pfizer intends to continue some manufacturing operations at the facility in the short term, the plan is to seek a buyer for the facility and, if none can be found, close the plant in 2013."

 

As generic version's of Pfizer's Effexor XR hits the market, there is an oversaturation of the medication making it difficult to turn a profit. These days' medication manufacturers are surfacing with new versions of an old medication. When you add generic medications like Effexor to the mix, there is not much money for even larger medication manufacturing companies to make money.

 

With all the side effects of antidepressants such as Effexor XR, many people have turned toward making healthy lifestyle changes to help relieve their anxiety and depression. However, there are still some individuals that must rely on Effexor XR or other antidepressant medication. Injuries that are a direct result of the side effects of a medication can be more complicated than the reason the medication was prescribed in the first place, which is why victims should contact an experienced product liability attorney. Call 888.956.2487 and let our product liability attorneys fight for you and your family.

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

Although widely used brands of birth control medications that contain drospirenone, such as Yasmin and Yaz, have yet to be recalled by the Food and Drug Administration, the evidence of the risks associated with the medication are being evaluated. Studies published in the British Journal of Medicine earlier this year reported that taking birth control medicine with drospirenone have two to three times more risks associated than for levonorgestrel-based birth control medications.

Two new studies published by the British Journal of Medicine examine the risk for blood clots or venous thromboembolism (VTE) in women between the ages of 15 to 44 who use birth control medication that contains drospirenone versus women who took birth control using another form of progestin. Progestin, a synthetic female sex hormone, is used in many oral contraceptives. In Europe, regulators are revising the prescription information to reflect these recent findings. The European Medicines Agency stated the risk of taking oral contraceptives containing drospirenone held a greater risk of developing blood clots than medication containing levonorgestrel. Although there is less risk in taking oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel contained a smaller risk of blood clots, the risk is there.

The Food and Drug Administration released an alert that stated that it is "currently evaluating the conflicting results from these studies and will look at all currently available information to fully assess the risks and benefits of dropspirenone-containing birth control pills." The agency is not suggesting that women stop using the birth control with consulting their doctor first, but does advise that women watch for symptoms of blood clots. Symptoms include severe chest pain, persistent leg pain, or sudden shortness of breath. The Food and Drug Administration plans to release a study this summer exploring the link between blood clots and hormonal contraceptives.



Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

In a statement, her attorney said she had been sentenced to five years probation for the murder on May 20, 2011. Her attorney went on to say that the combination of drugs that she was prescribed put her into a "catatonic drug-induced state," which caused Mary to kill her husband by stabbing him several hundred times in the throat in October 2009. After stabbing Charles, Mary also stabbed herself and tried to overdoses on Paxil and the sleeping pills she was prescribed. According to Mary, she does not remember her actions that resulted in her husband's death because of the medication she was taking. Since there was no blood splatter on the walls, Mary's attorney believes "the stabbing was not in a violent frenzy because the blood would have flown off the blade and into the wall."

During Mary's sentencing, her adult children came to her defense. Eliott Sattler, Deputy District Attorney, opposed the probation order because he believed it sent the wrong message to the public. Sattler asked the judge, "What does it say to the next person in a difficult situation with a loved one? We are living in an aging society. What does that say to them? To condone what she did?" The presiding Judge Perry did warn Mary that a violation to the terms of her probation would result in a very large sentence. As a part of her probation agreement, Mary must continue treatment for her mental problems and take her medication as prescribed. Judge Perry defended his position on the probation saying there was "no reasonable explanation" as to why Mary killed Charles "other than the medications involved." Judge Perry continued saying that Mary had suffered enough loss from the death of "her best friend of 43 years."

In product liability cases, experienced Missouri attorneys work tirelessly to make sure that their clients receive compensation for their injuries. Injuries from a prescription medication can be devastating to any family, which is why product liability victims should seek the guidance of an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. In cases such as this the side effects caused injury not only to the person taking the medication but also resulted in the death of a loved one. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for you.


Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

According to an extensive amount of evidence, the side effects of Reglan in children are harder to detect. The side effects of the drug are also more severe than they are in adults who take the medication. Reglan, a popular gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment, is meant to be used for the short term. The drug, which should not be used longer than 12 weeks, is often prescribed for much longer. The medication is often prescribed to children and toddlers who have not responded to other treatments of GERD. The major downside to taking Reglan is the many side effects.

One of the most severe side effects of the medication is tardive dyskinesia, which has no cure or known treatment. Tardive dyskinesia causes patients to have involuntary spasms of the lower limbs and facial ticks. These symptoms are hard to detect in young children because of their development stages. There are symptoms that parents should watch out for if his or her child is taking Reglan. These symptoms include:

• Agitation

• Diarrhea

• Confusion

• Drowsiness

• Dizziness

• Fast heartbeat

• Headache

• Fever

• Rigid muscles

• Increased sweating

• Trouble sleeping

• Tiredness

Because the symptoms of TD are unrecognized in children, many children are not diagnosed with the condition quickly enough; mostly due to the fact that parents do not know what to look for. Because of the onset of tardive dyskinesia in children, thousands have filed lawsuits against Reglan claiming they were not properly warned of the serious side effect that his or her child could be affected by. TD is a disorder that goes misdiagnosed just like Parkinson's Disease because the symptoms of the diseases are similar. It is advised by many product liability attorneys that if your child is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease after taking Reglan to seek a second opinion.

The Food and drug administration regulates pharmaceutical companies to protect the public, but drug companies also have to answer to their customers when their drug is harmful. Patients that have been injured by a prescription medication that is falsely represented on the label can file a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company. Our experienced Missouri product liability attorneys fight the drug companies for our clients because they should not have to suffer for the drug company's negligence. Call 888.956.2487 for a free consultation to discuss your Missouri product liability claim, and we will fight on your behalf to make sure the drug company is held responsible.


Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

The makers of Effexor, Wyeth, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Intellipharmaceutics International, Inc. The case has reached a settlement. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court in New York's Southern District and focused on Intellipharmaceutics' generic capsule version of Effexor XR. As stated in the terms of the settlement between the two drug companies, Intellipharmaceutics will be able to hold a non-exclusive license to Wyeth's patent so they can legally launch a generic version of Effexor XR in the United States. This agreement may only come to reality as long as Intellipharmaceutics' generic version is approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

As of now, there is no assurance that any of the products produced by intellipharmaceutics will be approved by the FDA. However, with as successful as Effexor and its generic versions, it would be a viable risk for the drug company to take to manufacture it. Currently Effexor XR and its generic versions have grossed over $2 billion over the last 12 months in the United States. This record is amazing considering the lawsuits Wyeth has faced in light of the drug's adverse side effects. Despite the potential lawsuits against the drug, companies like Intellipharmaceutics stand to gain a major profit from the sale of the medication.

 

CEO of Intellipharmaceutics, Dr. Isa Odidi, explained why the company is excited when he stated, "We are very pleased with the settlement of the litigation relating to our generic version of Effexor XR, as this removes a significant barrier to the commercial launch of our generic product upon FDA approval. With five products awaiting FDA approval, we continue to work aggressively to both advance and expand the number of products in our portfolio." Even with the potential lawsuits for the adverse side effects of the drug, the drug companies stand to make much more than they will pay out for settlements in such lawsuits.

 

Manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe for consumers. If a defective product injures you, the manufacturer of the product should be held liable. If you or a loved one has been injured by a recalled medication or product in Missouri, contact our experienced product liability attorneys at 800-956-2487. You and your family may be entitled to compensation as a result of the harmful product.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

For several months, Missouri Yaz Lawyers have been staying up-to-date on the recall of the popular birth control Yaz. Bayer, the maker of Yaz, is still under fire from users of the pill who have suffered from the dangerous side effects of blood clots, heart attacks, and a stroke. Recently, the drug maker is being blamed in the sudden death of a teenager in Independence Township, North Carolina.  

The mother of 18-year-old, Michelle Pfleger has openly blamed the birth control for a blood clot that killed her daughter. Michelle was on her way to Elon University on September 14, 2010 to attend her morning classes when she collapsed. She died shortly after arriving at the hospital. According to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the official cause of death was recorded as a pulmonary thromboemboli, which is an obstruction of blood vessels in the lungs. The teenager's mother believes that the Yaz birth control is what killed her daughter since a pulmonary thromboemboli is basically a blood clot.

The day before Michelle Pfieger died, she was treated for a knee injury with a painkiller, but the medical examiner does not believe that her death was related to the injury. According to the Eastern Express Times interview with Dr. Alberto Estrada from Phillipsburg's Warren Hospital vascular lab, it is rare for an 18-year-old girl to die as a result of a pulmonary thromboemboli, but there is no certainty that the birth control pill is related to the cause of death. However, the birth control pill could be a contributing factor if the conditions were right at the time of her death.

In product liability cases, experienced Missouri attorneys work tirelessly to make sure that their clients receive compensation for their injuries. Injuries from a prescription medication can be devastating to any family, which is why product liability victims should seek the guidance of an experienced Missouri product liability attorney. To speak to an attorney right away, call 888.956.2487 and let one of our experienced attorneys help fight for you.


Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

As a St. Louis, Missouri product liability attorney, I try to keep the general public aware of ongoing lawsuits with drug companies. Currently the statute of limitations for product liability is coming to a close for victims of the popular prescription medication Reglan. According to reports, the clock will run out possibly by February 2011 for many of those who want to file a lawsuit against the drug company.

The reason the statute of limitations is running out is that the Food and Drug Administration released its black box warning in 2009. The February deadline is the two-year anniversary of the FDA ruling. Many states maintain a two year statute of limitations for personal injury cases (However, Missouri has a five-year statute of limitation for personal injury claims).  Although there are large amounts of people who have injuries that would qualify them to file a lawsuit, not many victims realize the time limit on the case.

Reglan was a prescription medication used to treat gastroesophageal reflex disease (GERD) and gastroespohageal reflux (GER). The medication was also used to treat new mothers who were having difficulty producing breast milk. The drug held many risks, such as suffering from tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder comparable to Tourette Syndrome.

Many women who agreed to take Reglan were not told of the real risks of the drug by their physician before taking the medication, which is why so many women will be affected when the statute of limitations runs out. Reglan can have more serious side effects like Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS), which can lead to death in serious cases. The statute of limitations could force potential victims to rush to file their lawsuit, which will make courthouse staff work a little harder come February.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates the pharmaceutical companies, but drug companies also have to answer to their customers. Patients that have been injured by a prescription medication that manufactures falsely deem safe can file a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company. Our experienced Reglan Injury Attorneys fight the drug companies because our clients should not have to suffer for their negligence. Call 888.956.2487 for a free consultation to discuss your possible Reglan claim, and we will fight on your behalf to make sure the drug company is held responsible for your injuries.


Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

As a Paxil Birth Defect Lawyer, I keep a watchful eye on drug recall news. Lately I have been following the cases against GlaxoSmithKline for their mistakes in the manufacture of several drugs. The prescription drug that is the focus of the court cases is for the antidepressant Paxil. In October, court proceedings exposed that GlaxoSmithKline made a mistake while producing the medication in their Cidra, Puerto Rico plant. The federal government and several state governments have filed drug adulteration claims after the mistake was made public by a whistleblower.

According to this person, the mistakes on the production line made some of the Paxil pills extremely dangerous. Some drugs off of the line only had the inactive ingredient and some pills had only the active ingredient. A subsidiary of GSK, SB Pharmaco, pleaded guilty to the federal charges of drug adulteration. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, GSK will pay $150 million in fines for the criminal charges and $600 million in penalties on a civil level. GlaxoSmithKline also faces several civil lawsuits.

The most recent case awarded the State of Washington $6 million for their case against the drug company. The state plans to fund its Medicaid program and pay the federal government back for the state's share of prescription costs of the Medicaid program. Paxil has been surrounded by many complications, and it is important that patients should see a doctor right away. If you are taking the prescription Paxil, you should be tested to see if you are receiving the correct dosage.

If you have been a victim due to a drug company's negligence, please contact an experienced Missouri product liability attorney right away. Call 888.956.2487 for a free consultation to discuss your claim. Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

When you turn on your television and see a commercial that announces a recall, you won't pay much attention if it does not affect you. But what if the recall does affect you? What do you do? That's what over 100,000 people are asking themselves with the DePuy hip recall that Johnson & Johnson issued in late August. As a product recall attorney, I have kept a watchful eye on the recall so that I can keep the public updated from a legal standpoint.

 

Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopedic division also recalled its ASR XL Acetabular Head System along with its Hip Resurfacing System on August 26, 2010. First manufactured in 2003, DePuy's ASR Hip Resurfacing System became a popular choice within the medical community. Following the August recall, a motion to consolidate all federal court litigation regarding the product was filed. A meeting is set for November 18, 2010 in North Carolina to centralize the product liability lawsuit.

 

A little over a month after the company issued the recall, calls flooded doctors offices around the country asking for more information on the hip recall. The doctors were overwhelmed by the recall announcement because DePuy did not keep a record of the patients that received the ASR hip, so the company was unable to contact each recipient directly. DePuy admitted its recordkeeping mistake from the beginning, but that does make it any easier to track down the patients that need to be warned of the risks.

 

Johnson & Johnson has had 11 recalls in the last year. This amount of recalls is the result of a company that takes short cuts because they are focusing more on profits than the safety of consumers. Johnson & Johnson admits that they have lost their way, which is a step in the right direction. Regardless of Johnson & Johnson's desire to put the recall behind them, there are still several thousands of people in the United States who are not aware they are at risk. If you had a hip replacement done between 2003 and 2010, please contact your doctor to find out if you are at risk from the hip replacement. Your next step is to hire an experienced personal injury attorney to fight for you. Call 888.956.2487 to speak to an attorney today to schedule a free consultation.

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles product liability cases that result in personal injury or death throughout the United States. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of a drug company, please contact a product liability attorney to learn your rights. It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

 

We want our cars to be safe, but sometimes carmakers make mistakes during production. These mistakes can cause serious injury to anyone in the car in the event of a malfunction. As a Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer, I believe it is my responsibility to inform the public of recalls involving passenger vehicles. Honda and Toyota have issued a recall for thousands of cars because of a brake fluid problem. The brake issue on Honda and Toyota vehicles diminishes brake performance and could lead to a serious accident.

 

Toyota has recalled over 740,000 vehicles with the potentially dangerous defect. Toyota Avalons between 2004 and 2007, Toyota Highlanders, and several models of Lexus have been recalled. The recall issue is for the rubber seal, which becomes misshaped after time and causes the brake fluid to leak. A brake fluid leak can lead unresponsive brakes while driving.

 

Honda has not released the number of their vehicles, which were affected, but Acura vehicles and Odyssey minivans are being recalled for a problem similar to Toyota. To date no serious car accidents have been reported because of the recall issue. If you drive a Toyota or a Honda please be on the lookout for a recall notice attached to your vehicle's VIN. Both companies will fix the recall issue when you take your vehicle into an authorized dealer.

 

If you would like to know if your car is being recalled, please contact your local dealer immediately. It is better to have the problem fixed right away than to risk the chance that the brakes will malfunction. Carmakers recall millions of vehicles each year when they discover a mistake made while the car was in production. Many lawsuits are filed each year for injuries and fatalities caused by vehicle defects. If you or someone you love has been injured because of a recalled malfunction, please talk to an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney at 888.956.2487 for a free consultation

 

Joshua P. Myers is the owner and President of Myers Injury Law, LLC and a founding partner of Schultz & Myers, LLC.  Based in St. Louis, Missouri, his personal injury law firm routinely handles motor vehicle accidents that result in personal injury or death throughout the Midwest. If you have been hurt or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another driver, please contact a motor vehicle accident attorney to learn your rights.  It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any attorney's fees until we recover on your behalf.

 

 

Recently, our Tardive Dyskinesia Lawyers have issued a new Reglan Tardive Dyskinesia Press Release.  The Federal Food and Drug Administration has issued a mandate requiring the makers of Reglan (Scharz Pharma, Inc) to include a black box warning on the labels of Reglan warning of the probability that it may cause Tardive Dyskinesia.  This is a very serious condition that is permanent and cause extreme problems.  Notably, the makers of Reglan did not voluntarily issue this warning when Reglan was first put on the market.  Thus, our Reglan Side Effect Attorneys believe that, if a large pharmaceutical company is going to market a drug that causes such a permanent condition, they should be responsible for the harm they cause. 

We are seeking to speak with anyone across the country who had developed Tardive Dyskinesia subsequent to taking to Reglan.  It is always free to talk about your situation.  You can reach our lawyers toll free at 888-956-2487.  Although headquartered in St. Louis, MO, we are not only speaking to individuals in Missouri and Illinois, but across the entire country. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING ORAL SODIUM PHOSPHATE OR FLEET'S EZ-PREP OR PHOSPHO-SODA, SEE THE VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS POST

Our oral sodium phosphate lawyers have recently begun investigation cases across the country related to the dangers of this drug.  Most sodium phosphate is routinely before colonoscopies.  Over the past several years, the US Food and Drug Administration have received an alarming number of reports and they have subsequently linked the drug to onset of acute phosphate nephropathy.  This is a very dangerous condition where calcium phosphate crystal develops in your renal tract.  This leads to kidney damage and impairment of the renal functions. 

 

Essentially the kidneys are responsible for filtering out all waste products from your blood.  Any damage to the kidneys impairs their abilities to filter out this waste and your body becomes toxic in itself.  Of course this is extremely dangerous and can lead to death.

 

On February 11, 2006, the Federal Food and Drug Administration announced their requirement that the package of these drugs had to contain a Black Box Warning.  Black Box Warnings are known for their black outline on the packaging.  This is required by the FDA for drugs which studies have shown cause serious and fatal side effects.  Because of this Black Box Warning, these drugs are no longer allowed to be sold over the counter, but must be by prescription only.  The popular brand of the over-the-counter drug was Phospho-Soda manufactured by Fleet, however this drug was discontinued after the FDA's Black Box Warning.

 

Our sodium phosphate kidney injury lawyers are investigating cases nationwide of injuries due to Oral Sodium Phosphate.

 

These types of cases fall into the category of Product Liability.  Specifically, we often look to see if the chemical and the design of the drugs themselves are defective.  Essentially this means that if the drug itself causes the injury, it is thereby defective.  This is often easy to convince a jury; however, the harder part is proving that the kidney failure itself is due to the medication.  This often involves use of numerous experts.  Often times it is common for us to spend in excess of $100,000.00 in expenses to even get the cases to trial.  In our cases, we pay all these expenses up front for our clients so we never ask you to pay anything as we go along.  More importantly, if we for some reason do not recover, we do not ask you to pay any attorney's fees nor any of the case expenses.

 

If you'd like to speak with one of our oral sodium phosphate attorneys because you believe it has injured your kidneys, please contact us at 888.956.2487 or use the contact form on this website.  Please note the law limits the amount of time you have to file suit.  The deadline is different for each state.  But more importantly, as each day passes, people's memories fade and evidence comes scarcer.  Thus, in significant and complex cases such as these, time is always of the essence.

For more information regarding Oral Sodium Phosphate Kidney Injuries and the FDA's Warning regarding Fleet Phospho-Soda, watch the falling video:

Just this past month, we discovered that over 700 Ducati motorcycles contain a dangerous defect.  The defect is due to a lack of material in the front fork which causes the driver to lose control.  Obviously losing control of the motorcycle is quite hazardous.  In fact, our investigation has uncovered papers Ducati's own documents which confirm the company is aware of the defect.  These papers have been filed with the government, specifically the National Highway Transit Safety Admission and the Office of Defects Investigation.  Ducati learned of the dangerous defect during their quality control testing.  They acknowledged the defect exists in the following models of their  2009 Streetfighter motorcycles:

      

2009 Ducati 11985

2009 Ducati 1098R

2010 Ducati F1098S

 

Our Ducati motorcycle defect lawyers are investigating cases nationwide.  If you have been injured on one of these Ducati motorcycles, call our offices to talk about your case.  It is always free to discuss your case and there are never any fees until we recover for you.

 

These cases against Ducati were the rise under the law of Products Liability.  There are a number of theories to proceed under but these cases involve a defective design or a defective manufacturer of their products.  If fact, Ducati has already done half the work for us in these paper our Missouri Personal Injury Lawyers uncovered as they admit that the defect is due to a manufacturer failure which does not live up to the design's specifications.  Even still, these cases are always hard fought and require the law firm to often spend in excess of $100,000.00 of expenses on the case.  In fact, in a recent Products Liability case I handled against Freightliner, we had to spend nearly $150,000.00 in expenses even though we obtained documents from the company regarding the specific failure in the case which labeled the product as a defect.  Of course when catastrophic injuries come into play, these companies are always quick to try and evade responsibility. 

 

Our Ducati motorcycle injury attorneys will pay all case expenses for you along the way.  There is never an hourly fee you have to pay and there is no retainer.  Bottom line, we put our money where our mouth is and we don't get paid unless you get paid.

 

Call us toll free at 888-956-2487 if you believe you've been injured due to a defect on a 2009 Ducati Streetfighter motorcycle.

On December 31, 2008, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a unit of consumer and health care products company Johnson & Johnson, announced that its PriCara division had recalled two lots of 50 mcg Duragesic pain patches. The patches were recalled because of cuts in the products that could expose users directly to the product's powerful fentanyl gel, causing a potentially fatal overdose. This is the latest in a long line of product recalls and FDA Public Health Advisories that have plagued fentanyl pain patches over the last several years.

Over the past several years, there have been several multi-million dollar verdicts for families of patients who died while wearing the Fentanyl Pain Patch.  The types of cases are called product liability cases.  Generally, manufacturers of unreasonably dangerous products can be held liable for multiple reasons.  These can be:

• Defective Design - if there is something inherent in the design of a product that makes it unreasonably dangerous
• Defective Manufacture - if the design is theoretically fine, but there is something in the manufacturing process that renders the product unsafe.

 

Product liability cases against large conglomerates like Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., can often be more than most attorneys can handle.  For one thing, the paper trail is riduculously complex in product liability cases.  But more importantly, the cost of handling a case against a corporation like this is often too costly for most attorneys to take on.  Many people don't realize that Plaintiff's attorneys pay the expenses out of their own pocket - and if they lose a case, they lose all of their money.  Spending $250,000 on a case is no big deal for a large these goliath corporations but it's often impossible for a Plaintiff's lawyer.  Luckily, through past successes and the organization of our business model, we can handle these tough and expensive product liability cases.

If you are looking for a Fentanyl Pain Patch Lawyer, call us at 888-956-2487.  We'll often even group other top-notch personal injury attorneys in your area so that we can all work on it together (and we pay them out of our attorney's fee).  By the way, our fee is always a percentage of what we recover - when we recover.  So there is never any fee to consult with us about your case - and if there is no recovery, you don't owe us anything. 

And even though we are St. Louis, Mo injury lawyers, we will investigate these cases from all over the country.   

In a very tragic accident, a 2-year-old child died this past Saturday after being thrown from an ATV.  The child was riding with 29-year-old Nicholas Moore.  There is no description of the relation between Moore and the child.  The pair were riding the ATV on private land near Jeffriesburg Road in Eureka, Missouri.  This is in Franklin County, MO. 

Apparently, the accident occurred when Moore hit the throttle.  After doing so, he fell off the back of the ATV which continued forward and ran into a tree.  The impact with the tree is what caused the child to be thrown from the ATV.  He was transported by ambulance to St. John's Mercy Hospital in Washington, Missouri where he was pronounced dead.

This type of case would be governed by Missouri's wrongful death laws.  As a St. Louis Accident Injury Lawyer, I'm often asked who is able to sue for the death of a family member.  In Missouri, there are three different levels of people able to sue.  In this situation, the child's parents are the first class.  If there are no parents, then the child's siblings become eligible to sue.  If there were no siblings, then the class extends to extended relatives.

Often times, people question why parents would want to file a lawsuit over a case like this.  That's a personal question that would be answered differently by each person.  But the law does allow parents to recover for the loss of companionship with their child.  Often times, it is not about money for the parents.  Rather, it can often be about just and vindication for the fatal accident. 

In this case, there would be a number of aspects to investigate.  Obviously, the focus would start with Mr. Moore.  He may have negligently caused the fatal accident in a number of ways including:

• failing to properly restrain the child,
• failing to properly operate the ATV,
• failing to be adequately trained before using the ATV,
• failing to provide appropriate safety equipment for the child (such as a helmet)

In fact, he may be negligent for even putting the 2-year-old child on the ATV in the first place.

ATV's are very dangerous machines and many lawsuits arise over their use.  In this particular case, the focus should not stop at Mr. Moore's actions, but rather there should be investigation into the ATV itself.  It is possible that the throttle was too high - so that when Mr. Moore pressed it, the ATV took off faster than what was reasonably safe. 

It is unknown whether anyone in this case has contacted a Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer or ATV Products LIability Attorney.  For those who have been injured, feel free to contact St. Louis Injury Attorney Joshua P. Myers.  You can call 314-720-2706 or toll-free at 888-956-2487.  It's always free to discuss a case and there's never any attorney's fee until we recover. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently warned that some models of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury SUV's, trucks, vans, and cars may have a defective switch in the cruise control which could lead to a fire. Unfortunately this could happen even when the vehicle is turned off or left unattended. NHTSA has urged the owners to take these cars into their local dealership to be repaired. In their press release, they identified 21 different types of cars that may have this potentially dangerous defect. Identified types are: 

·         1993-2004 Ford F150

·         1993-1999 Ford F250

·         1993-1996 Ford Bronco

·         1994-1996 Ford Econoline

·         1997-2002 Ford Expedition

·         1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator

·         1998-20025 Ford Ranger

·         1992-1998 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car

·         1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII

·         1993-1995 Ford Taurs SHO with automatic transmission

·         1994 Mercury Capri

·         1998-2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer

·         2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac

·         1992-1993 Ford E-150-350 gasoline or natural gas trucks

·         1997-2003 Ford E-150-350 gasoline or natural gas trucks

·         2002 Ford E-550 gasoline engine vehicles

·         1996-2003 Ford E-450 gasoline or natural gas vehicles

·         1994-2002 Ford F250-F550 Super Duty Trucks

·         2000-2002 Ford excursion

·         2003 Ford F250-F550 Super Duty, Ford Excursion

·         1995-2002 Ford F53 Motor home Chassis

·         2002-2003 Lincoln Blackwood

 

Consumers with further questions should contact their local Ford-Lincoln-Mercury dealer or call 888-222-2751. Also call additional information is available at www.ford.com.

 

If you have had one of these vehicles that has suddenly caught fire because of the defective switch in the cruise control stick, contact St Louis Lawyer, Joshua P Myers.  An experienced products liability attorney, our firm limits its practice solely to serious personal injury cases. Located in St Louis Missouri, however we handle all cases throughout all Missouri and Illinois. Additionally, we also handle cases throughout the rest of the country on a case by case basis. If you would like to speak with St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer, Joshua P. Myers about your case, feel free to contact him through his St. Louis Personal Injury Attorney website or call 314-720-2706. It is always free to discuss your case.

Nissan recently recalled a number of its 2008 Altimas.  The issue relates to a loose bolt, which could lead to disastrous results if it fell out, including difficulty in steering the car. 

 

According to a report issued by NHTSA, the transverse link bolt on the front suspension may not always be tightened to specifications before it leaves the factory.  NHTSA further said that this could cause the bolt to become loose and possibly fall out while the vehicle is being driven.  If this occurs, the driver may lose control of the car, resulting in a crash.  

 

If you own a 2008 Nissan Altima, take it in to the dealer immediately.  Due to the recall, Nissan dealers will tighten the bolt free of charge.  For more information, contact Nissan at (800) 647-7261.

 

When automobiles leave the factory without being properly made according to the specifications, this can lead to disastrous consequences.  These types of cases fall under the category of Products Liability.  If you have been injured due to a defective product, and would like to speak to a lawyer, contact St. Louis personal injury lawyer Josh Myers. 

A recent article in the Detroit News Washington Bureau highlighted a current proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  NHTSA is a federal organization who is, among other things, responsible for issuing safety specifications which auto manufacturers must meet.  More generally speaking, they are responsible for making sure that auto manufacturers do not put profits over people.  They are supposed to be looking out for our safety.  Thus, it became quite an issue at a recent hearing why the agency was seeking to preempt state court lawsuits in connection with roof strength.  If this doesn't make sense, let me give you some background.

 

"Roof Strength" refers to the specifications that auto manufacturers must meet in regards to the force that a vehicle's roof can withstand.  This is primarily an issue in traffic accidents where the car rolls over.  Obviously, when a car flips over in a wreck, it will roll over onto the roof, crushing it down to some extent, which can be very dangerous to the occupants of the car.  The current standard says that vehicles weighing 6,000 lbs or less must be able to withstand a force of 1.5 times its weight.  NHTSA is currently proposing a new standard which would require vehicles up to 10,000 lbs to have a roof that withstands 2.5 times its weight.  This in itself is a very good regulation in regards to safety.  However, what NHTSA has also tried to do is sneak in a provision preempting any state court lawsuit for roof crush in a roll-over accident.  Essentially, what this means is that if you wanted to file a products liability claim against the car manufacturer for making a roof that was weaker than it was supposed to be, you would be forbidden from filing that suit in state court.   According to the article, at least 26 state attorneys general have written NHTSA asking that the preemption provision be thrown out.  Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri questioned "Why does NHTSA feel compelled to crush the rights of states?  There is a plot somewhere in this administration so they can wipe out the rights of Americans."

 

So why is NHTSA including this insidious clause in their new regulations?  I think that I have a pretty good idea.  NHTSA estimates that a 3.0 standard would cost auto makers at least $1.1 billion more than a 2.5 standard.  It is no secret that NHTSA frequently works with the auto makers when writing these new standards.  I think that it is a pretty safe bet that the auto makers put a lot of pressure on NHTSA to include this preemption regulation.  If they think that they are going to have to pay more money to meet these stricter safety regulations, I bet that they are trying to cut down on the number of lawsuits they may have to face in the future. 

 

 Roof crush and roll-over accidents are very specialized fields in products liability cases.  It is estimated that roll-over crashes account for more than 10,000 deaths per year.  While roll-overs represent only 3% of wrecks, they count for 1/3 of fatal accidents.  If you would like to speak with an experienced products liability attorney, contact Josh Myers.