According to a New York Times article, GlaxoSmithKline knew of the potential risks of the diabetes medication Avandia.  GlaxoSmithKline is also the maker of the SSRI Paxil.

Allegedly, GSK hid results of studies that showed Avandia was a dangerous medication.  According to an email obtained by the NY times, an executive wrote “Per Sr. Mgmt request, these data should not see the light of day to anyone outside of GSK.” 

The public first became aware of the potential heart risks of Avandia in 2007 after a lawsuit against the drug maker.  In that suit, it was discovered that GSK knew of the risks as of 2005.  However, new documents purportedly show that GSK knew of the potential risks as early as 1999.

After a lawsuit involving Paxil settled in 2004, GSK agreed to post the findings of all of their studies on the internet.  However, this does not solve the problem for many who say that GSK’s method for releasing the study information is still too mysterious.  It also does not resolve the issues for those who have suffered heart problems after taking Avandia.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration determined there was a problem with Avandia.  An FDA panel voted in the majority that Avandia should be removed from the market or have its sales severely restricted.

Patients who have suffered heart attacks or heart failure while taking Rosiglitazone (Avandia) may have a product liability case against GlaxoSmithKine.  If you have been injured by this medication, you should contact a products liability attorney immediately.  The Fitzgerald Law Firm was part of one of the two successful courtroom trials against GlaxoSmithKline for failure to warn users about the potential dangers of Paxil, another GSK drug.  Paxil was linked to suicide in teens and adults, and also to birth defects in newborns when their mothers had taken Paxil.

GlaxoSmithKline announced it expects legal charges of approximately $2.4 billion for the second quarter of 2010.  The reports are that the $2.4 billion legal bill includes charges related to product liability lawsuits over Paxil, mothers and babies. “The charge we have announced today reflects the company’s ongoing efforts to resolve certain longstanding legal cases,” according to its main corporate lawyer in a statement quoted in the New York Times. “This represents a substantial proportion of GSK’s outstanding litigation.”

GlaxoSmithKline settled more than a hundred Paxil birth defect lawsuits in June 2010.  The Fitzgerald Law Firm has cases alleging GSK deliberately chose against adequately warning physicians and expectant mothers about the risk of birth defects when those pregnant mothers took Paxil.  Those birth defects include persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborn babies (PPHN) and heart defects, including holes in the heart and malformations.

Many law firms claim to have success in Paxil cases but only two lawsuits have ever resulted in a verdict against GSK for a birth injury, or death from suicide. One of those two successful cases against GSK over its Paxil product resulted in a verdict in which Jim Fitzgerald was privileged to serve as trial co-counsel for the family. If you or a loved one has faced issues with Paxil use during pregnancy and resulting birth defects in the baby and you are considering legal action, The Fitzgerald Law Firm will review your case free of charge.

Wyoming residents on average drive the most of any state in the U.S.  Wyoming’s large size makes for long drives.  All of this driving has the potential to lead to accidents.  While accurate numbers are not kept on non-fatal traffic accidents, there were 34,017 fatal traffic accidents in 2008 in the United States. http://www.nhtsa.gov/ Because of the large amounts driven by Wyoming drivers, those drivers are more at risk of accidents.  There are certainly accidents on the road but many times car and tire manufacturers could have prevented them or at least avoided serious injuries and deaths.

Accidents can happen for many reasons, including tire failure like the problems that plagued Firestone tires in the past and accelerator problems like those that are troubling Toyota.  There are also many other types of problems that can contribute to a traffic accident.

Truck accidents can occur for a variety of reasons.  Semi-trucks are a common sight in Wyoming.  Interstate 80 is one of the most heavily used corridors to move freight from coast to coast.  As a result of the large numbers of trucks on I-80, there are numerous accidents involving commercial vehicles or semi trucks.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in this type of accident, and you are considering legal action, The Fitzgerald Law Firm will review your case free of charge.

Relying upon confidential government reports, The New York Times warned its readers on February 20, 2010, that each month hundred of people who are taking Avandia, a drug prescribed for the treatment of diabetes, are having heart attacks and others are experiencing heart failure.  The recommendation in these confidential government reports is that Avandia be withdrawn from the market.

According to the report, withdrawing Avadia from the market and replacing this defective and dangerous drug with a similar medication (Actos) would prevent 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure each month.   Avadia, also known as Rosiglitazone, is used to treat Type 2 diabetes.  In the third quarter of 2009, this drug was linked to 304 deaths.

GlaxoSmithKline manufactures Avandia.  The confidential FDA reports are part of an intense debate within the agency about whether this drug should be taken off the market.  This battle has been raging for a number of years but was recently brought to the forefront because of a new clinical trial and a Senate investigation that GlaxoSmithKline should have warned patients earlier about the potential risks of taking this pill.

Patients who have suffered heart attacks or heart failure while taking Rosiglitazone (Avandia) may have a product liability case against GlaxoSmithKine.  If you have been injured by this medication, you should contact a products liability attorney immediately.  The Fitzgerald Law Firm was part one of two law firms that successfully sued GlaxoSmithKline for failure to warn users about the potential dangers of Paxil, an SSRI antidepressant drug.

I-Flow Corporation manufactures and sells pain pumps that are used after surgery.  Recently, an Oregon jury found the company liable for negligence.  The jury awarded the plaintiff $4.5 million for the permanent damage he suffered to his shoulder joint. 

In 2004, the thirty-five (35) year old plaintiff underwent surgery after hurting his right shoulder while playing flag football.  After surgery, his surgeon inserted a pain pump catheter directly into the shoulder joint.  The pain pump is designed to deliver pain medication directly into the shoulder.

Afterward, the plaintiff reported to his doctor that he was experiencing ongoing pain and a “clicking” sound in his shoulder.  Physicians discovered that the patient’s cartilage in his shoulder joint was almost completely worn away.  This condition is called chondrolysis.  The pain pump damaged the plaintiff’s cartilage.  Now the patient has undergone more surgery but surgery cannot repair all of the damage.  He now faces a lifetime of repeat surgeries, constant pain and limited use of his right arm.

Although the FDA has not approved inserting these pain pump catheters directly into a joint, the product’s manufacturer instructed doctors to insert the catheter directly into the joint and then failed to warn medical doctors of the risks.

If you or a family member has had a pain pump inserted after surgery and have experienced cartilage damage, you should immediately contact an attorney.  The Fitzgerald Law Firm has more than 30 years of experience prosecuting product liability cases.  Their attorneys review potential cases for free.

Tire tread separation is particularly dangerous for owners of SUVs and vans because these vehicles have a higher center of gravity than passenger cars. This higher center of gravity can lead to deadly rollover accidents when a tire unexpectedly blows out. Blowouts can occur long before the tire tread is worn out. That can happen if the tire has minute cracks. They quickly lead to larger cracks that develop between the belts, causing premature tire fatigue and tread failure.

In late June 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that Bridgestone recalled 127,000 Firestone tires sold in 2007 and 2008 -- nearly doubling an earlier recall of tires from the same line.

NHTSA reports that in recent years tens of millions of flawed tires have been recalled. Firestone's Wilderness AT tires were recalled because they did not have proper adhesion between the steel belts and the surrounding rubber. This defect was caused by Firestone’s failure to utilize gum edge strips, nylon overlays or caps, or other safeguards to reduce the hazard of tread belt separation. Cooper Tire, Goodyear, Uniroyal, Dunlop and Foreign Tire Sales, Inc., and an importer of Chinese tires under the brand names Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS have all issued recalls for some of their tire models.

The Commission and Dorel Asia have received reports of 31 drop side incidents. In six cases, children were trapped between the drop side and crib mattress. In addition three babies suffered bruises.

Defective cribs and playpens pose serious dangers. Infants and toddlers can become entangled, trapped, or strangled by improperly designed or weak slats. Defective bedding can lead to airway obstruction when babies are trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib.

In February 2010, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled more than 500,000 drop-side cribs sold at Buy Buy Baby, Kmart, Wal-Mart and other stores after three infants died. According to the Commission, plastic hardware on Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS cribs can break and allow the drop side to detach. The mattress supports can also break away from the crib frame. Both defects create gaps that allow babies and small children become trapped that can result in suffocation or strangulation.

Honda originally announced the airbag recall to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in November of 2008. The first recall covered four thousand 2001 Accords and Civics. The recall was expanded in July of 2009 to 440,000 vehicles including the 2001 and 2002 Accord and Civic, and some 2002 Acura TL sedans.

Honda advised owners to take their vehicles to dealerships as soon as they are notified in writing. Apparently car owner notification will begin during February.