South Carolina Lawyer Blog

The FDA has ordered Pfizer Inc., maker of Chantix, to add the strong “black box” warnings - the agency’s most urgent – to this anti-smoking drug reports Forbes.com. The FDA says patients taking Chantix should be watched for serious mental health problems including suicide.

The FDA will require the same warning on GlaxoSmithKline’s Zyban. The warning must also be included in all advertisements for these drugs. Nicotine-releasing patches and gums will not carry the warning.

The FDA stated the warning will highlight the risk changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs.

Although GlaxoSmithKline wasn’t available for comment, Pfizer said it added the warning to the prescribing instructions, but added “the benefits of Chantix outweigh the risks for many patients when used as directed."

If you or someone you care about has been injured or killed by an unsafe drug in South Carolina, contact the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 or use our online form for a free evaluation of your case.

New Warnings on Anti-Smoking Drugs

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Federal officials are warning consumers to stop using Zicam, a popular cold remedy. The reason: it could damage or destroy users' sense of smell.

The Food and Drug Administration has received 130 reports of people who lost their sense of smell after using Zicam nasal products, which include Zicam Cold Remedy and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs.

The products were introduced by Matrixx Initiatives of Scottsdale, Ariz. in 1999.

In 2006, Matrixx paid $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits from Zicam users who claimed that the product destroyed their sense of smell. Hundreds of other lawsuits have been filed.

Louthian Law Firm has served injured South Carolinians since 1959. We have won millions for our clients and are committed to protecting consumers from dangerous products. If you've been injured by Zicam, call us at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Zicam Cold Remedy Warning

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The Coloradoan reports Larimer County commissioners have agreed to pay $225,000 to the estate of a man who died after being tasered repeatedly by sheriff’s deputies.

The man died October 25, 2005, almost three weeks after his heart stopped while being arrested by deputies. The man stopped breathing during the arrest and was taken to the hospital. But he never regained consciousness. The death was ruled a homicide.

The lawsuit claimed the deputies were not properly trained in the use of stun guns. During their depositions, the deputies stated they were not familiar with a memo from TASER International, manufacturer of the stun guns, warning against using a taser on a person in a state of “excited delirium” which came out three months prior to the incident.

The Louthian Law Firm has over 50 years experience pursuing wrongful death lawsuits. If you have lost a loved one and feel you have a wrongful death claim, call our experienced attorneys at 1-866-410-5656 for a free consultation of your case.

Wrongful Death Settlement

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Two large debt settlement companies in New York have been sued by the state Attorney General for allegedly engaging in fraudulent and deceptive business practices and false advertising.

Among the problems, according to NY Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo: one company enrolled 18,000 customers in New York State during the past five years and earned $17 million in fees but settled debts in only 2,000 of those cases.

If you or someone you love is a victim of predatory lending or illegal debt settlement practices, you should speak to the Louthian Law Firm. We offer free, confidential consultations to victims, who are often working with limited resources, and we never take any fees unless and until we win the case. For a free, no-obligation case evaluation, call us today at 1-866-410-5656 or contact us through our online form.

Debt Settlement Lawsuit

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An Illinois meatpacker has recalled nearly 96,000 pounds of ground-beef products after receiving reports of E. coli infections that may be linked to the beef, said the federal Agriculture Department.

The meatpacker, Valley Meats LLC, distributed the beef in 10-pound to 40-pound packages in March, according to the federal agency. The products were sold under brand names that included 3S, Grillmaster, J&B, Klub, Thick ’N Savory and Ultimate.

More information is available on the Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov.

If you or someone you care about has been seriously injured or killed by someone else's careless attitude toward food safety, you have the right to hold the careless party responsible in court. With almost 50 years of experience, the Louthian Law Firm can help you evaluate your case and file the best possible lawsuit. To preserve your right to a day in court, contact one of our experienced South Carolina foodborne illness attorneys as soon as possible, at 1-866-410-5656, for a free case evaluation.

Valley Meats Beef Recall

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A federal jury awarded almost $1 million to a 79-year-old Vermont resident's family on May 15, ending a lawsuit filed in 2006 against Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

The woman underwent coronary bypass surgery at the medical center in August 2005 and was readmitted two days later because she had difficulty breathing.

After determining the woman was suffering from low blood sugar, health care workers gave her IV doses of glucose after which her hand swelled, felt numb, and turned blue. Eventually she had two of her fingers and part of her hand amputated, after which she developed a serious bacterial infection. She died of a heart attack caused by the infection in November 2005.

The lawsuit alleged several instances of negligence against the medical staff at the medical center, including using the wrong type of IV line, and failing to recognize and properly treat the complications caused when the IV fluid leaked outside her veins.

The Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm have many years of experience in medical malpractice cases and we are committed to providing personal service and to obtaining fair compensation for all our clients. Call us at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Medical Malpractice Award

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In 2006, the website, Chantix Home, stated the drug “has no match among the smoking cessation drugs at present.”

The site lists side effects, based on the clinical trials performed by Pfizer (the maker of Chantix) are pretty common ones such as nausea, sleep disorder, gas, constipation, headache, and loss of taste.

Since that time, more than five million patients have used the drug, some with serious, even life-threatening, side effects. These side effects include: severe mood swings, depression, agitation and aggression, nervousness, impaired driving skills, and suicidal ideation and behavior.

The government has banned the use of Chantix for pilots. By August, 2008, Chantix had been linked to at least 40 suicides and 400 attempted suicides according to the FDA and the agency reviewed more serious side effect reports for Chantix than for any other medication on the market in the first quarter of 2008.

If you believe you or a member of your family has been harmed by Chantix, contact the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your case.

Chantix Drug Dangers

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Ed McMahon has settled a medical malpractice lawsuit against Cedars Sinai Medical center for an undisclosed amount reports Entertainment Tonight.

The long time TV personality claims the doctors failed to correctly diagnose a broken neck he sustained in a 2007 after a fall at a friend’s house. He claims the hospital discharged him without taking x-rays and the hospital botched two subsequent spine operations causing Mr. McMahon months of discomfort and pain which left him unable to work.

The personal liability lawsuit against the homeowners where the fall occurred is still pending.

Medical malpractice is a politically charged issue, which has led to an extremely complex set of state laws governing malpractice lawsuits. Therefore, if you or someone you care about has been injured by the carelessness of a medical professional, you should speak with an experienced South Carolina medical malpractice attorney at the Louthian Law Firm as soon as possible. We will help you evaluate your case, protect your legal rights, stand by your side throughout the legal process, and get you the best results possible. Call the Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm today for your free consultation at 1-866-410-5656.

McMahon Settles Medical Malpractice Suit

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Washington State’s Bellingham Herald reports Whatcom County and the state must pay $5.5 million because their negligence allowed a drunk driver to injure a Washington woman in January 2007.

The jury found the county and the State Patrol were negligent in not preventing the other woman from driving drunk before the crash.

The driver was found passed out behind the wheel of her car hours before she caused the car crash. She was cited for a DUI, driven home, given her keys, and told not to drive before she sobered up. She called a cab to go back to her car, started driving, and collided with the plaintiff.

The woman was being supervised by the county because of a previous DUI and was supposed to have an ignition interlock device installed in her car. The device was never installed and the jury found the county negligent for failing to check to make sure the device had been installed.

The plaintiff spent 45 days in the hospital and has undergone numerous surgeries because of her injuries.

If you or someone you care about was hit by a drunk or careless driver in South Carolina, it’s important to make sure you understand your legal rights. Contact the experienced car accident attorneys at the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 or online for a free evaluation of your case.

$5.5 Million Car Crash Verdict

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Following reports of 46 deaths and hundreds of injuries -- many from rollover accidents -- sales of three Rhino off-highway recreational vehicles have been halted until free safety repairs can be made by Yamaha Motor Corp., the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced in late March.

The Rhino vehicles are prone to rollover at low speeds and on level ground, the CPSC stated. The agency cautioned consumers not to use these off-road vehicles until new safety features are installed.

More than two-thirds of the fatalities involved rollovers.

"Of the rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, some of which were serious, many appear to involve turns at relatively low speeds and on level terrain," the CPSC said in a news release.

The repairs affect the 450, 660 and 700 Model Rhino Vehicles. As many as 150,000 of these models have been sold since 2003.

At the Louthian Law Firm, we believe the manufacturers of products with dangerous flaws should be held accountable when someone is injured. If you or a loved one has been injured in a South Carolina Rhino rollover accident, call the Louthian Law Firm at 866-410-5656 or contact us through our confidential online case evaluation form.

CPSC Yamaha Rhino ATV / UTV Press Release

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The Genentech unit of drug maker Roche Holding AG, makers of the psoriasis drug Raptiva, is removing the drug from the market after learning it can cause a rare fatal disease of the central nervous system.

Raptiva was approved in 2003 for the treatment of chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, a condition of the skin characterized by red, scaly, inflamed patches of skin. The official date this drug will be removed from circulation is June 8, 2009, reports Fox 5 in Atlanta.

The company stated no new prescriptions should be written. Of the approximately 2,000 patients now using the drug, three have shown symptoms of the rare nervous system disorder and one died. The FDA confirmed these cases in February, the same day regulators in the European Union recommended banning the drug.

If you or someone you care about has been injured or killed by an unsafe prescription drug, contact the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your case.

Raptiva Taken Off Market

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USA Today reports a federal judge has upheld most of the $8.5 million he awarded in a medical misdiagnosis case.

In 2002, a doctor at Scott Air Force Base, in southern Illinois, misdiagnosed the ex-wife of a captain when she came to him with a rash on her arm and he assumed she was an addict wanting prescription drugs.

The rash turned out to be a flesh eating bacteria. The woman lost the use of her arm and was awarded $8.5 million by a federal judge.

The government requested the award for damages be cut by over $1 million, but the judge let most of the original award stand and cut the damages by less than $63,000.

Medical malpractice is essentially when health care professionals make a mistake that harms the patient they are supposed to help.

The Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm have many years of experience in medical malpractice cases and we are committed to providing personal service and to obtaining fair compensation for all our clients. Call us at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Medical Malpractice Case

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