Need a mesothelioma lawyer? We will fight for you!
› $4.85 Billion settlement in drug case
A small device implanted in the heart to stop blood clots from triggering strokes could serve as an alternative to blood thinners such as heparin and warfarin, according to a new study conducted by the device’s maker, Atritech, Inc. The device, called the Watchman, is designed specifically for patients with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat.
Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly now have closure in their year-long heparin overdose lawsuit against Cedars-Siani Medical Center, according to OK! and Entertainment Tonight. The entertainment media reported that a Los Angeles judge has signed off on the $750,000 settlement the couple reached with Cedars-Siani last month. According to the settlement, the hospital did not admit wrongdoing in the potentially fatal overdose of heparin that was accidentally administered to the couple’s newborn children Zoe Grace and Thomas Boone Quaid. The settle also allows for the couple to pursue claims for their children in the future. The California Department of Public Heath fined Cedars-Siani $25,000 for the error.
Just because a drug has been recalled doesn’t mean that it has been eliminated from pharmacy and hospital inventory. According to the Associated Press/San Jose (California) Mercury Sun, during an investigation by the California Board of Pharmacy, heparin, which was recalled last winter, was found 94 times in California hospitals and at least 16 hospitals administered the drug to patients.
Every company can use a good spin doctor from time to time, and it looks like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is no exception.
Last month I told you that California Rep. Harry Waxman, who serves as head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, raised concerns that items outlined on the FDA’s 2007 priorities list appeared to prioritize industry desires over consumer protection.
This, just months after more than 80 American deaths were linked to tainted heparin that was made in Baxter International Inc.’s facility in China. FDA officials later acknowledged they had not inspected that facility and claimed they had insufficient staff and financial resources to regularly inspect overseas manufacturers.
Tainted batches of heparin may have raised concerns with the general public, but a recent Reuters report suggests the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would rather focus on giving product promotion advice to companies and journal reprints to physicians than food and drug safety scares.
![[ Beasley Allen Law Firm Logo ]](http://www.heparin-legal.com/wp-content/themes/system-unity/images/logo.png){kind=logo}